Mars Lander Snaps the Most Detailed Pics Yet

An anonymous reader writes "The Mars Lander has taken its very first microscopic image of a piece of Martian dust (image). The particle, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is shown at a higher magnification than anything ever seen from another planet. The piece of dust is a rounded particle about a millionth of a meter across. This particle is one of the countless specks of dust that continually swirl around the Red Planet, coloring the Martian sky pink. 'Taking the images required the highest resolution microscope operated off of Earth and a specially designed substrate to hold the Martian dust,' said Tom Pike, a Phoenix science team member. 'We always knew it was going to be technically very challenging to image particles this small.'"

Comments

Re:"Millionth of a meter"

[Muad'Dave]

In the US at least, we use that term for a device that measures very small things, a micro [=very small] meter [=that which measures]. It's pronounced 'my kromiter', not 'micro meter'. I think using it to mean a millionth of a meter would be confusing, regardless of it being technically correct.

Re:wrong approach

[Takichi]

Seems to me like they should start with robots that go to Mars and bring some rocks back. I'm assuming that we'll probably want to bring the people that eventually go there back, so this would probably be a good start. Unless all manned missions to mars are suicide/colonisation missions.

Re:"Millionth of a meter"

[dotancohen]

In the US at least, we use that term for a device that measures very small things, a micro [=very small] meter [=that which measures]. It's pronounced 'my kromiter', not 'micro meter'. I think using it to mean a millionth of a meter would be confusing, regardless of it being technically correct.

That said by someone who measures distance by the FOOT?

(
As in: How many feet in a yard?
Depends upon what's on the grill!
)

Re:"Millionth of a meter"

[ceoyoyo]

Meter is uniquely American. Everybody else spells it properly: metre.