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MER Spirit makes "one of its most significant discoveries"

TerriO

TerriO

Writer-type human
Premium Member
Yes, they're still going....

Mars robot unearths microbe clue

Spirit has, quite by accident, discovered rich deposits of silica. Researchers studying the data Spirit has taken on these deposits have concluded that they were formed in one of two ways, both being habitable environments for microbial life, and the formation of the silica makes it possible territory to find microbial fossils.

"The important thing is that whether it is one hypothesis or the other, the implications for the former habitability of Mars are pretty much the same," Professor Squyres explained to BBC News.

"You can go to hot springs and you can go to fumaroles and at either place on Earth it is teeming with life - microbial life.

"So this is a representation of what was in the past a local habitable environment."
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Article in the NY Times today on the subject.
 
That is freaking awesome news, and I can't believe the rovers are still going! Wow, talk about endurance and getting the most for your money :D
 
Re: MER Spirit makes "one of its most significant discoverie

Strangely, it was Spirit's broken wheel (which it's been dragging for over an Earth year) that kicked up the find.
 
Re: MER Spirit makes "one of its most significant discoverie

Discoveries resulting from circumstances not in the original plan count, too. More than a few things most people today take for granted came about in likewise unplanned-for ways.

I think it's really saying something about the design that, even broken, they continue to be productive so long after their intended period of operation had ended. I continue to be impressed.
:thumbsup:
 
Re: MER Spirit makes "one of its most significant discoverie

While they still may be going, one of them, I think it's Spirit, its solar wings are getting mightily covered with Martian dust, so unless it gets a lucky gust of wind to clean them off, it may die soon as it won't be able to produced enough power to charge its batteries.

Yeah...here's the story with a pananoramic pic of the rover's solar panels.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/images/jc4-20071210.html

And that was already a month and a half ago.
 
Re: MER Spirit makes "one of its most significant discoverie

Which info and photo was also included in the BBC article linked in Terri's OP.
 
Re: MER Spirit makes "one of its most significant discoverie

Brent said:Wow, talk about endurance and getting the most for your money :D
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Sadly reminds me of an article I read on the remnants of the UK' own space programme, from when satellites were launched by the UK itself and not as part of ESA, Prospero X-3 still up there and bleepin.
 
Re: MER Spirit makes "one of its most significant discoverie

Oh my god.. silicates on Mars! Call the Wildcards!

Oh, nevermind. That's pretty cool, and it's amazing how much good science those rovers are doing this far past the 90 day warranty. :)

AG, who enjoyed his free shrimp (only one, but it was FREE 'cause evidence of water was found and LJS made good on their advertising) from Long John Silvers courtesy of the MER mission. :)
 
Re: MER Spirit makes "one of its most significant discoverie

Johnny Rico said:
While they still may be going, one of them, I think it's Spirit, its solar wings are getting mightily covered with Martian dust, so unless it gets a lucky gust of wind to clean them off, it may die soon as it won't be able to produced enough power to charge its batteries.

Yeah...here's the story with a pananoramic pic of the rover's solar panels.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/images/jc4-20071210.html

And that was already a month and a half ago.
Click to expand...

Mhmm. It's made me think that the next rover they send out should be able to clean dust off it's solar panels.
 
Re: MER Spirit makes "one of its most significant discoverie

TheMacMan said:
Johnny Rico said:
While they still may be going, one of them, I think it's Spirit, its solar wings are getting mightily covered with Martian dust, so unless it gets a lucky gust of wind to clean them off, it may die soon as it won't be able to produced enough power to charge its batteries.

Yeah...here's the story with a pananoramic pic of the rover's solar panels.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/images/jc4-20071210.html

And that was already a month and a half ago.
Click to expand...

Mhmm. It's made me think that the next rover they send out should be able to clean dust off it's solar panels.
Click to expand...

IIRC, they thought about adding the equivalent of windscreen wipers to the rovers, but the mechanics to do so would have been to much weight, and they were already pushing the limits as it was.
 
Re: MER Spirit makes "one of its most significant discoverie

Alpha_Geek said:
Oh my god.. silicates on Mars! Call the Wildcards!
Click to expand...

LOL hey that's a good one.

I'm not scientifically adept enough to appreciate this all I know is...sand ain't microbes. But if the big cigars say this is significant I defer to their judgment and give props to the MER Spirit and the team behind it.
 
Re: MER Spirit makes "one of its most significant discoverie

TerriO said:
IIRC, they thought about adding the equivalent of windscreen wipers to the rovers, but the mechanics to do so would have been to much weight, and they were already pushing the limits as it was.
Click to expand...

If the dust has any kind of charge (most does, at least on Earth), they could perhaps do something with electric fields.

Or just give the thing a swivel fan.
 
Re: MER Spirit makes "one of its most significant discoverie

anti-matter said:
Alpha_Geek said:
Oh my god.. silicates on Mars! Call the Wildcards!
Click to expand...

LOL hey that's a good one.

I'm not scientifically adept enough to appreciate this all I know is...sand ain't microbes. But if the big cigars say this is significant I defer to their judgment and give props to the MER Spirit and the team behind it.
Click to expand...

No, it isn't microbes. However, these kinds of silicates are formed in areas that, on Earth, are full of microbial life. These kinds of silicates also are excellent for preserving fossilized microbes. Therefore, the logic extends that not only were these once habitable areas, but there's a definite possibility that if there are fossils on the surface, this may be a great place to start looking.
 
Re: MER Spirit makes "one of its most significant discoverie

^ I agree after reading the link this is significant ...like I said I'm a scientific no nothing but value expert opinion. When they find microbes it will be monumental...

...btw I do read Scientific American on line, I just don't always fully understand it.
 
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