One Strange Mars Rock

by Nancy Atkinson on November 7, 2009

Want to stay on top of all the space news? Follow @universetoday on Twitter

Marquette Island.  Credit: NASA/JPL color by Stu Atkinson
Opportunity has come upon another big rock on Mars. But what is it? Another meteorite? A big clump of ejecta from an old impact? There’s lots of other debris scattered around this area as well. The rock has been named “Marquette Island,” staying with the island theme for the other meteorites Oppy has come across, and the rover may take the “opportunity” to get closer to this rock and check it out, given the sand dunes surrounding it don’t provide too much of an obstacle. So maybe next week we’ll find out what it is. But in the meantime, enjoy these color and 3-D images (see more below) of the rock via Stu Atkinson from Unmannedspaceflight.com. Check out more great looks at Marquette Island at Stu’s blog about Oppy’s travels, Road to Endeavour.

Oh, and rumor has it that the extrication process may have begun to free the Spirit rover. Latest images show she has moved every so slightly. More as it becomes available….

Marquette Island, from a distance. Credit: NASA/JPL, color by Stu Atkinson

Marquette Island, from a distance. Credit: NASA/JPL, color by Stu Atkinson

Marquette Island in 3-D. Credit: NASA/JPL, 3-D by Stu Atkinson

Marquette Island in 3-D. Credit: NASA/JPL, 3-D by Stu Atkinson

About

Nancy Atkinson is Universe Today's Senior Editor. She also is the host of the NASA Lunar Science Institute podcast and works with the Astronomy Cast and 365 Days of Astronomy podcasts. Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador.

  • tacitus

    I believe they are going to spend some time near this rock because the current in Opportunity’s gimpy wheel is on the rise again. So expect Oppy to hang around here for a week or two.

  • Ravenas

    Obviously its a black monolith predicted by 2001 Odyssey. Except that someone misplaced it on Mars instead of Moon. :O

  • damian

    How Exciting, another rock on mars. Yay.
    If only the rovers could fly.

    Damian

  • cantman

    Hey, who tipped over Squidwards house?

  • Nexus

    Good news about Spirit.

    Can’t wait for the crackpots to wave their arms in the air and shriek that Mars is inhabited because the rock looks a little bit like a hunched over ape-like creature. If they can “spot” mile-long glass worms and flocks of grazing plesiosaurs…

  • Torbjorn Larsson OM

    Once again, Mars rocks.

    @ Nexus: Ape-like? Clearly I have to check out my frogeidolia at an optician.

  • Jon Hanford

    Hopefully its not MRO or one of our orbital assets at Mars :)

    Seriously, I hope MRO gets over its bout of flu

  • Lawrence B. Crowell

    It might be that a bolide thermally exploded above this site and littered the area with these. This does look like what the geologists might call “suspect terrain,” for it looks out of place with the sedimentary light colored rock.

    LC

  • s0l

    I smell color filters all over those images… Good luck to the little bots though!

  • Aodhhan

    I’ll get more excited about a martian rock, when they come accross some which have seemingly been worn smooth by water.

Previous post:

Next post: