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Mars Exploration 1: Unmanned Missions (Probes; Rovers; etc.)

We will rock you.

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity went out of its way to investigate a rock the likes of which it has never seen before on the Red Planet.

Measurements by Curiosity's rock-zapping ChemCam laser and another instrument revealed that the target, a chunk of bedrock dubbed Elk, contains high levels of silica and hydrogen, NASA officials said.

The abundance of silica — a silicon-oxygen compound commonly found here on Earth in the form of quartz — suggests that the bedrock may provide conditions conducive to the preservation of ancient carbon-containing organic molecules, if any exist in the area, the officials added. So Curiosity's handlers sent the rover back 151 feet (46 meters) to check Elk out. [Latest Amazing Mars Photos by NASA's Curiosity Rover]

"One never knows what to expect on Mars, but the Elk target was interesting enough to go back and investigate," ChemCam principal investigator Roger Wiens, of Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, said in a statement.

http://www.space.com/30062-mars-rov...id=627826230016897024&adbpl=tw&adbpr=15431856
 
Don't know if anyone has posted this yet, but here's something in a photo that looks vaguely like a space-spider.

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^^ Seen that before. Some people interpret it as a plant. ^^
I haven't the foggiest what it is.
 
Yes, there is an even more zoomed picture. I have no idea and think it's something worth going back and checking out, though it looks hard to reach that spot due to the steepness of the sand.
 
^^ Seen that before. Some people interpret it as a plant. ^^
I haven't the foggiest what it is.

According to the Daily Mail it's a facehugger (probably an illegal alien, benefits cheating one at that). Although I'd imagine there would be a distinct lack of faces to hug on Mars.


Crab-like 'alien facehugger' in a cave is spotted on Mars in latest bizarre claim by conspiracy theorists
  • 'Crab' was seen in a Nasa image taken by the Curiosity rover
  • Scientists say these strange sightings are often a case of pareidolia
  • This desribes a response to seeing familar objects in random places
By ELLIE ZOLFAGHARIFARD FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 22:34, 5 August 2015 | UPDATED: 00:38, 6 August 2015



From ancient pyramids to military bunkers, there's not much conspiracy theorists haven't seen on Mars.

Now, in their latest bizarre sighting, alien hunters say they have spotted a mysterious 'facehugger crab' on the red planet.

Since the image was uploaded on Facebook, a number of people have said it looks like the facehugger monster shown in the 1979 film, Alien.

2B20A6E300000578-0-image-a-28_1438808825382.jpg



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From ancient pyramids to military bunkers, there's not much conspiracy theorists haven't seen on Mars. Now, in their latest bizarre sighting, alien hunters say they have spotted a mysterious 'facehugger crab' on Mars


The 'crab' can be seen in an image taken by the Mars rover Curiosity, which shows a formation that looks like a cave mouth on the red planet.

The photo was taken by Nasa in July but recently appeared in Facebook group 'Journey to the Surface of the Mars', who has the slogan: 'They will not tell the truth about Mars'.

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Seth Shostak, director of the Centre for SETI Research said this is probably a case of pareidolia.

This is the psychological response to seeing faces and other significant and everyday items in random stimulus.

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Some have said the 'crab' on Mars is simliar to that shown in the 1979 film, Alien (pictured). Others say it may be an 'alien spider'

It is a form of apophenia, which is when people see patterns or connections in random, unconnected data.

Human eyes can spot faces within their environment and it helps them recognise friends in a crowd, work out how fast a car is travelling, and see patterns.

Scientists claim we also tend to use this ability to 'enrich our imagination' and recognise meaningful shapes, even when they're not there.

'Those that send [images] to me are generally quite excited, as they claim that these frequently resemble something you wouldn't expect to find on the rusty, dusty surface of the red planet,' said Shostak.

'It's usually some sort of animal, but occasionally even weirder objects such as automobile parts. Maybe they think there are cars on Mars.'

He added: 'Recognising a crab in a landscape filled with wind-weathered rocks is no more surprising - nor more significant - than seeing a winking face in a semi-colon followed by a parenthesis. ;)'

ALIEN HUNTERS CLAIM TO SEE A 'DARK LADY' ON MARS
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In another strange claim this week, alien hunters have seen what they believe to be a woman on Mars in a recent image taken by Nasa's Curiosity rover

In another strange claim this week, alien hunters have seen what they believe to be a woman on Mars.

UFOvni2012 recently uploaded the image the image of the 'woman' on YouTube and it has seen been viewed more than 300,000 times.

'It's hard to tell if this is a living being, or a statue of a being from long ago,' said Scott Waring from UFO Sightings Daily.

'However, a statue that small would be eroded and destroyed easily, so it has a higher chance of being a living being.

One of the commentators on the footage suggested that the 'woman' is an alien version of the Statue of Liberty.

'If she would be standing on that cliff you maybe a lot taller than anybody from Earth', he said.

Read more:


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...Mars-latest-bizarre-claims.html#ixzz3i1XRfNaJ
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...tted-Mars-latest-bizarre-claims.html#comments
 
The shape seems too complex to be pareidolia, unlike all the other mars stuff which probably was.
 
Yes, there is an even more zoomed picture. I have no idea and think it's something worth going back and checking out, though it looks hard to reach that spot due to the steepness of the sand.

Now if they were to do another photograph and it wasn't there...:eek:
 
Even if it's a rock formation (which of course in all likelihood it is), it's an unusual one.
 
One thought I had was that, way in the distant past, it was an underground stream which silted up. Then over the years it became exposed through erosion. The "legs" could be were cracks in the rock were filled with silt.
On the other hand a Martian spider is more exciting - as long as it bloody well stays there!
 
One thought I had was that, way in the distant past, it was an underground stream which silted up. Then over the years it became exposed through erosion. The "legs" could be were cracks in the rock were filled with silt.
On the other hand a Martian spider is more exciting - as long as it bloody well stays there!
I was going to say just that and you beat me to it.
Reckon that's it.
 
I was going to say just that and you beat me to it.
Reckon that's it.
One would think that the remains of a silted up stream would be something of high interest, the rocks would have formed in the presence of water.
 
One would think that the remains of a silted up stream would be something of high interest, the rocks would have formed in the presence of water.
All of those rocks in that photo were formed by water or some kind of fluid. That's sedimentary rock.
 
There's also another face. Looks like Bruce Forsythe to me :)
Alien hunters discover 'ancient Egyptian face carving' on Mars
ALIEN hunters are claiming a coup in their quest to prove a human-like ancient civilisation once lived on Mars after finding an "Egyptian-like" face carved rock on the Red Planet.
By Jon Austin Jon Austin
PUBLISHED: PUBLISHED: 01:08, Wed, Aug 12, 2015



Mars-Face-597649.jpg
GOOGLEMARSMAP
Is this a stone carving or just patterns on a rock?
The discovery was made by Argentinian amateur UFO sleuth Marcelo Irazusta who poured through Google Mars Map - a downloadable virtual trek through the Red Planet surface similar to Google Earth.
The image - which shows a human-like head seemingly wearing Queen Nefertiti-style hat - was made public by UFO Sightings Daily website.
Its editor Scott C Waring said: "The face really stands out. I see others near it, but this one is very pronounced.
"The person has a very large nose, and ears. The person looks old and their hat shows their royal or political status."
Mr Waring suggested the "carving" was a significant historical step in the quest for knowledge of alien life.
Related articles
Mars-Face2-330421.jpg
GOOGLEMARSMAP•UFODAILYSIGHTINGS
The "face" brought out with colour added
Related articles
For millions of years they have made these faces of important cultural figures. I am just trying to identify as many as possible in hope of getting some idea about what they look like, and how many species are near Earth
Scott Waring, alien hunter
He added: "Why is this more important than anything I posted today?
"I made this site to learn about aliens, and the best way to learn about them, is by looking at them.
"For millions of years they have made these faces of important cultural figures. I am just trying to identify as many as possible in hope of getting some idea about what they look like, and how many species are near Earth."
The "face" joins a long list of other Earth-like discoveries on Mars since the NASA Curiosity Rover began beaming back detailed close-up images from the planet's surface.
But scientists have dismissed them as the results of pareidolia - which is a phenomenum causing the brain to trick the eyes into seeing recognisable objects like faces and animal shapes in patterns and textures.
NASA does not comment on anomalies in its pictures.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/scien...iscover-ancient-Egyptian-face-carving-on-Mars
 
So much better than the space aliens we had in last week.
 
Your name could land on Mars a year from now aboard NASA's next Red Planet mission.

The space agency is inviting people around the world to submit their names to be etched on a silicon chip that will be affixed to the InSight Mars lander, which is scheduled to blast off in February 2016 and touch down on the Red Planet seven months later.

"Our next step in the journey to Mars is another fantastic mission to the surface," Jim Green, director of planetary science at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a statement. "By participating in this opportunity to send your name aboard InSight to the Red Planet, you're showing that you're part of that journey and the future of space exploration."

You can fill out your "Mars boarding pass" through Sept. 8 here:http://go.usa.gov/3Aj3G

http://www.space.com/30317-send-your-name-to-mars-insight-lander.html
 
A mission that uses SpaceX's Dragon capsule to help bring chunks of Mars rock back to Earth for analysis could launch as early as 2022, researchers say.

This "Red Dragon" project — which remains a concept at the moment, not an approved mission — would grab samples collected by NASA's 2020 Mars rover and send them rocketing back toward Earth, where researchers could scrutinize the material for possible signs of past Red Planet life.

The sample-return effort would keep costs and complexity down by using SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket and a modified version of the company's robotic Dragon cargo capsule, the concept's developers say. [Images: 'Red Dragon' Sample-Return Concept]

Red Dragon is "technically feasible with the use of these emerging commercial technologies, coupled with technologies that already exist," Andy Gonzales, of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, said Wednesday (Sept. 9) during a presentation with the space agency's Future In-Space Operations (FISO) working group.

http://www.space.com/30504-spacex-red-dragon-mars-sample-return.html?cmpid=514648
 
'Mars mystery solved': Nasa prompts speculation with promise of major announcement
Conjecture over US space agency's planned announcement focuses on possibility of water on the Red Planet


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Phoneix-Mars-Getty.jpg

File handout image of the Phoenix Mars Lander Nasa (via Getty)
Nasa is making big promises for Monday, saying it will reveal the answer to a major mystery about Mars.

The US space agency said it would be announcing "a major science finding" regarding the Red Planet at 11:30am EDT (4.30pm in the UK) on the 28 September, to be broadcast live on its website.

There is much speculation that the mystery to be addressed is the phenomena known as 'recurring slope lineae', the dark tendrils observed on the planet surface during warm seasons, which it is speculated is evidence of water.

READ MORE
Among those speaking at the briefing will be Alfred McEwen from the University of Arizona in Tucson, who in July published a study on slope activity in Mars's Gale crater, and Lujendra Ojha, a PhD candidate from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta who has collaborated with McEwen and has also studied the possible water activity on Mars.

Science and technology website Inverse.com highlighted Ojha as "the odd-person out at the news conference", pointing out that it was Ojha's undergraduate research that helped identify the recurring slope lineae.

The existence of water would be significant as it would mean there was a prospect of life on Mars.

Also speaking will be Nasa heavy-weights Jim Green, the agency's director of planetary science; Michael Meyer, the lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Programme; and Mary Beth Wilhelm from NASA’s Ames Research Centre.

Of course, another possibility, and one large parts of the internet is hoping for, is the announcement will be about aliens:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/s...h-promise-of-major-announcement-a6668031.html
 
They keep announcing that they've found water on Mars.
It's great, but I'm a bit tired of that.
What they really mean to say is that they have found remains of an ancient civilisation or something. That would make me sit up.
 
They keep announcing that they've found water on Mars.
It's great, but I'm a bit tired of that.
What they really mean to say is that they have found remains of an ancient civilisation or something. That would make me sit up.
Or the remains of a spacecraft beside a Union Jack and a plaque claiming Mars in the name of Queen Victoria and the British Empire :)
 
Or the remains of a spacecraft beside a Union Jack and a plaque claiming Mars in the name of Queen Victoria and the British Empire :)
Ohhh yes, please let it be that. :glee:
 
Looks like the announcement could be water related
Nasa to reveal major Mars finding, prompting water speculation
US space agency has promised a solved mystery, and invited guest who discovered possible signs of water while a student



Finding water on the red planet would boost chances of sustaining life there. Photograph: Alamy
Kevin Rawlinson

Monday 28 September 2015 06.00 BSTLast modified on Monday 28 September 201508.34 BST

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Nasa is to reveal a “major science finding” from its Mars exploration mission, giving rise to rumours that the US space agency has found traces of liquid water on the red planet.

It has invited reporters to a press conference at 11.30am ET (3.30pm GMT) on Monday, which will be attended by Lujendra Ojha, who discovered possible signs of water on Mars as an undergraduate student.

While it is keeping its cards close to its chest, the agency has promised a “Mars mystery solved”.

Nasa has found evidence of water on Mars in the past, mostly in frozen form at the poles but said it still considered Mars to be hostile to life.

In March, Nasa scientists said that the evidence supported the theory that an ocean once covered a fifth of Mars’ surface and was miles deep in places.

“If they are announcing that they have found easily accessible, freely flowing liquid water under the surface, which is one of the theories we have been hearing for years and years, that has massive implications both for the potential for life on that planet and sustainability of humans,” said Doug McCuistion, the former head of Nasa’s Mars programme.

He told the Boston Herald: “That would be highly enabling and might be the game-changing trigger for both finding life and hurrying up and getting people to Mars.

McCuistion said that one of the major challenges facing scientists was finding enough water and oxygen to support a human crew on Mars. “If it is already there and you don’t have to bring it, that could save you many, many metric tons of resupply as well as initial carrying capacity and landing mass … if you take water out of the equation that is going to lighten the load significantly.”

Other speakers due to appear at the Nasa press conference include Jim Green, its director of planetary science, Michael Meyer and the agency’s lead scientist for the Mars exploration programme.

Mary Beth Wilhelm of Nasa’s Ames Research Center and Alfred McEwen, the principal investigator for the University of Arizona’s high resolution imaging science experiment, will also speak.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/...ajor-mars-finding-prompting-water-speculation
 
Not again!
We already friggin' know that! :rolleyes:

I wish NASA would tell us something new.
 
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