Curiosity Spies Unidentified, Metallic Object On Mars

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Curiosity Spies Unidentified, Metallic Object On Mars

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday October 9, 2012 @06:31AM from the littering-on-another-planet dept.

MrSeb writes "A few hundred million miles away on the surface of the Red Planet, Mars rover Curiosity has photographed an unidentified, shiny, metallic object. Now, before you get too excited, the most likely explanation is that bright object is part of the rover that has fallen off — or perhaps some debris from MSL Curiosity's landing on Mars, nine weeks ago. There is the distinct possibility, however, that this object is actually native to Mars, which would be far more exciting. It could be the tip of a larger object, or perhaps some kind of exotic, metallic Martian pebble (a piece of metal ore, perhaps). Close-up imagery will now be captured and analyzed, and within the next few days we should know if it's simply a piece of Curiosity — or something a whole lot more exciting."

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Wow by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-09 06:32 · Score: 5, Insightful

Call me a cynic, but even if the entire planet was made of solid gold, it still wouldn't make it economically feasible to go there.
A puddle of water there would be way more valuable.
1. Re:Wow by Phics · 2012-10-09 06:41 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  If the entire planet was made of solid gold, it would make it an economic disaster to go there.
  
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2. Re:Wow by xtal · 2012-10-09 06:42 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Massive gold deposits would make settlement there easier, but not for economic reasons. Gold is easily alloyed and makes a great material for all sorts of things. Like electric machinery, needed to process ore, water, ventilation, etc.
  
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  ..don't panic
3. Re:Wow by Jeng · 2012-10-09 06:47 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Gold is easily alloyed and makes a great material for all sorts of things.
  
  Radiation shielding.
  
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  Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
4. Re:Wow by icebike · 2012-10-09 07:19 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  The only reason we would go to Mars before we can live there is if we found life.
  Or to seed life.
  Just sayin...
  Sooner or later, even if we find primitive life, we should start thinking about what can be done with the planet, even if it takes 1000 years to
  get something to live there.
  
  --
  Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
5. Re:Wow by englishknnigits · 2012-10-09 08:51 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  The terms liberal and conservative are almost completely meaningless today. People think liberal is a synonym for Democrat and conservative is a synonym for Republican and misuse those terms accordingly.
  
  Arguing that the Constitution was designed to grow as needed is almost entirely unrelated to whether or not they thought we should have a small government. They certainly thought we should have a federal government that was restrained by the constitution and its amendments. The idea was to enumerate the powers of the federal government in the Constitution. If we wanted to expand those powers, we would have to amend the constitution through an intentionally difficult process where a super majority of states agree with the change. As of right now, neither Democrats nor Republicans respect limitations imposed on the federal government by the Constitution. They think "if 51% of people want it, we can do it!" which is little more than mob rule. This isn't exactly new but I do think it has steadily been getting worse.
6. Re:Wow by newcastlejon · 2012-10-09 09:25 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  For fuck's sake, there is such a thing as being too cynical.
  I doubt that.
  
  --
  If God forks the Universe every time you roll a die, he'd better have a damned good memory.
7. Re:Wow by BasilBrush · 2012-10-09 09:37 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  there is at least one model for oil/natural gas that could explain its creation based of geological processes rather then biological material breaking down
  There is at least one model for child birth that involves avian delivery.
I left it there. by For+a+Free+Internet · 2012-10-09 06:35 · Score: 5, Funny

Dear NASA: Would you please return it to me? I dropped it there when Iwas playing fetch with my astro-dog but since that vacation in 1982, what with the economy inthe shitter and my extreme insanity and all, Italian conspiracies, etc., etc., I had pretty much given upon retrieving it.
Please mail my battery-actuated vibrating metal thing object to:
Bob S.
445 Gimlet Road
Cornhole, OH
Thanks for bringing this find to my attention, Slashdort!

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About time! by SlashJoel · 2012-10-09 06:38 · Score: 5, Funny

They finally found the Prothean ruin!
My Keys!! by BenSchuarmer · 2012-10-09 06:39 · Score: 5, Funny

that's where I left them
Re:I'll bet it has writing on it that says by jo42 · 2012-10-09 06:44 · Score: 5, Funny

You mean "Made in China"...
Re:If its is alien origin by geekoid · 2012-10-09 06:44 · Score: 5, Insightful

Yes, becasue NASA wouldn't want the huge amount of money that would poor into the project to get there before anyone else, and the military sure wouldn't be interested.
It's in the governments, the military, and NASAs best interests to find an alien artifact, you moron.
I look forward to hearing about the as a conspiracy for the next 20 years~

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Shiny metal object? by mcmonkey · 2012-10-09 06:45 · Score: 5, Funny

If some tells you to bite it, don't.
It's an Illudium-Q36 explosive space modulator by Freddybear · 2012-10-09 06:48 · Score: 5, Funny

I'm expecting an earth-shattering kaboom!
Re:Screw that... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-09 06:50 · Score: 5, Funny

Think of the greater good.
The greater good.
ChemCam image, possible set up for spectroscopy? by Chris+Burke · 2012-10-09 06:53 · Score: 5, Informative

I found this ChemCam image in the raw image archive. It does look like a jagged shaving of... something.
While this could just be because the ChemCam telescope/imager has the highest resolution of anything on the mast (and they don't want to move the arm now), it might also mean that they plan to zap the object with the laser and measure its composition.

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The enemies of Democracy are
Re:I'll bet it has writing on it that says by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-09 06:54 · Score: 5, Funny

It was written in ancient Sumerian. It says:
"Global warming is real, so we're gonna try moving to the next planet over."
It's carbon dated 20,000 years old.
Object Likely Benign Plastic from Curiosity Rover by Anonymous Coward · 2012-10-09 06:58 · Score: 5, Informative

nasa.gov:
"Curiosity's main activity in the 62nd sol of the mission (Oct. 8, 2012) was to image a small, bright object on the ground using the Remote Micro-Imager of the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument.
The rover team's assessment is that the bright object is something from the rover, not Martian material. It appears to be a shred of plastic material, likely benign, but it has not been definitively identified.
To proceed cautiously, the team is continuing the investigation for another day before deciding whether to resume processing of the sample in the scoop. Plans include imaging of surroundings with the Mastcam."
Re:Screw that... by Xenkar · 2012-10-09 07:12 · Score: 5, Insightful

Statistically, mentally ill people aren't more or less likely to attack you than a normal person unless said mentally ill person is a schizophrenic female. In which case the chance is doubled.
The reason why we don't send mentally ill people is because we'd also have to send a supply of whatever medication they'll need to keep balanced and productive plus a psychiatrist for therapy.
But I think a sparse Mars colony would be perfect for my socialphobia. I'd only have to get used to at most twenty people.
Re:C'mon man... by tgd · 2012-10-09 07:37 · Score: 5, Interesting

Yes, it's a (piece of a) spaceship named Curiosity. Seriously, the robot finds a metallic piece of something close to where it landed... what are the odds that part is not from Curiosity itself? (answer ~0%)
Well, its not actually very close to where it landed, at this point. And they've taken quite a few photos of the rover. What'll be interesting is if it IS a part from the rover, how did they not notice it was missing? And how did it come off? Seems more likely it'd be part of the lander, but IIRC, it didn't fly off in that direction.
I think your zero estimate is far off, if you're talking about Curiosity itself. If you're talking the whole Rube Goldberg contraption that landed it there... well, that may be a fairly low odds its not.