Starship Asterisk*

Therefore, the erosional agents themselves are at every scale? Most features 'close up' seem to indicate recent and ongoing 'weathering'.

The Rover Spirit has found eroded/rounded rock on the tops of the Columbia Hills.

The Rover Opportunity found, and continues to find, billions of Hemotite 'Blueberries'... perfect size for sandblasting? if held in 'suspension'?

Both rovers have at times become stuck in very loose soils, the traverse of which resembles 'wading' into a snowdrift. VERY small particles? Are Tribo-electric forces part of the equation? As an electro-chemical agent?

Both rovers have noted passing dust devils are accompanied by a changes in ground plane voltages. Are the tribo-electric fields helping CREATE local weather conditions?

Instead of water being the major erosional agent on Mars.. How about DUST and SAND (and BLUEBERRIES!) held in suspension/liquifaction, during supercell dust devils? Dust storms on Mars are common during Mar's closest approach to Sol. Planetary scale storms have been observed.

Bottom line_____ The 'liquifaction' of Mars soils during storms over the eons, could easily explain how Mars 'looks' like it was flooded by water. During certain conditions, Mars soil particles act just like a fluid!

There are lots of possibilities for erosion happening on Mars.

The "soils" may have allot of ash like content. There are several indicators of the soils acting like this.

Martian Blueberry's, as an erosion agent? Interesting idea.

Norval

A recent map released by the Mars Globl Surveyor team of Mar's magnetic field(s) is fascinating! (http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0510/17marsmap/) - I hope I'm not breaking any rules posting something from 'brand X'? -

The Valley Marinaris appears to be where two tectonic plates have created a 'rift' or trench, the mag. fields line up with that feature.

What does the presence of those magnetic fields say about where life may exist on Mars? Are those places somewhat protected from incoming charged particles?

Can the magnetic anomolies on Mars be 'enhanced' and used for locating habitat(s)? That is to say... perhaps 'insitu' mag. fields could be used to shunt off some of the incoming charged particles? Or if those fields aren't strong enough to do the deed... could those fields be 'enhanced' somehow?

Solar powered field generators anyone?

I had read that the temp on Mars varies to the high of 68deg? I am also aware of the fact that pressure is different at different altitudes. I am wondering what the pressure and temp are at the bottom of the Valley Marinaris?

What little magnetic disturbances that have been found on Mars wouldn't offer much protection at all. They are very weak by comparison to Earth's field.

In any "hostile" environment, underground is the safest place to set up living quarters. Easily sealed and simple to regulate your environment, well insulated from most of the heat or cold you would find there. I would look for underground caverns to use first.

Bottom of the trench 5-8 miles down would be a good place to start also.

Just my $20,000 worth of thought on it.

Norval

underground!... oh duh

I note that recent images of Mars Valley Marinaris show that a dust storm is completely filling the trench at present. Starting there, possibly due to higher pressures and temperatures down in the bottom?

Mars Habitat.. hmm. Underground volcanic tubes come to mind right away. For Moon bases too.

The Mars Express radar should show some of the near surface tubes. The NASA mission on the way to Mars has a deeper penetrating radar. and OF COURSE these instruments will map possible habitat sites! HOW exciting!

What will these instruments see? ESA seems slow to put out data from the Mars Express Mission. Scientific embargo's suck sometimes.. chomping at the bit! ~@; )

Enhancing surface magnetic fields on Mars, for use as protection from incoming ionized radiation.

Early in the 'age of electricity' Nickoli Tesla performed experiments where he 'injected' electricity into the Earth's magnetic field. His hope was to create a wireless electrical power network. What he succeeded in doing was making all the dairy cows in a radius of 15 miles unwilling to give milk and downright surley as they were being mildly 'electrocuted' in the process. The ranchers were NOT happy and made him stop.

BUT, what he DID show.. is that one can 'inject' energy into an exstant mag. field, creating locally enhanced magnetic characteristics.

Imagine your car's alternator. It is not a generator. energy injected into the alternator is used to create opposing magnetic fields which then transform mechanical motion into electricty - i.e. an electromagnetic circuit. NOW... collecting electro-static or tribo-electric solar flux and injecting that energy into the field conductive areas in certain locations on Mars should enhance those existing fields?

Tesla generated millions of volts with his Van Der Graf generators.*

Mars surface is irradiated with 800 watts per sq. meter by Sol.

_____________________________________________________

* He also (Unknowingly) made the first X-rays when he used his electric arc light to illuminate Sam Clemens for the first artificially illuminated photograph. When the film was developed the image showed a simple wood screw. They were hard pressed to explain this phenomena - i.e. Why would Sam Clemens aka Mark Twain, appear as a simple screw? It was later determined was due to Tesla's electric arc light generating prodigious X-rays!

http://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/200 ... index.html

Now that is an erosion picture if I ever saw one.
MSSS POD for 10/27/05

UC Berkley MGS team members have published a magnetic field map of the surface of Mars

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0512/12marsauroras/

Turns out that there are indeed places on Mars where one might find protection from high energy particles. Or even enhance existing ground fields?