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Curiosity Rover Reaches Mount Sharp, Finds a Round Rock

posted by janrinok on Saturday September 27 2014, @02:20PM   Printer-friendly
from the damn-fine-hit-from-the-Ryder-Cup dept.
Science

AndyTheAbsurd writes:

Now that Curiosity has reached the base of Aeolis Mons (also known as Mount Sharp), the 3.5 mile-high mountain in the center of Gale Crater, scientists are excited for the rover to begin its next round of drilling operations into the layered rock. Powdered rock samples will then be analyzed so we can gain an idea about how habitable the Red Planet was throughout its ancient history and whether or not it may have been able to support microbial life.

Curiosity captured a rather un-Mars-like shape atop a rocky outcrop.

There’s a perfect-looking sphere sitting proudly on a flat rock surface. It’s dusty, but under that dust it appears a little darker than the surrounding rock.

At first glance it looks like an old cannonball or possibly a dirty golf ball. But knowing that Mars is somewhat lacking in the 16th Century battleship and golf cart departments, there was likely another answer.

Round rocks on Earth are usually the result of erosion in an aquatic environment - something that Mars hasn't had for a very long time.

Read the rest here: http://news.discovery.com/space/curiosity-finds-a-weird-ball-on-mars-140924.htm

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  • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 27 2014, @02:55PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 27 2014, @02:55PM (#98913)

    My never did find my first tee shot on 14.

    • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Saturday September 27 2014, @03:12PM

      by Thexalon (636) on Saturday September 27 2014, @03:12PM (#98916)

      That's preposterous - you couldn't get a golf ball into Low Earth Orbit, much less to Mars. Now, if one of Alan Shephard's shots from the moon went astray, that might explain it ...

      --
      The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.

      • (Score: 2) by frojack on Saturday September 27 2014, @06:24PM

        by frojack (1554) on Saturday September 27 2014, @06:24PM (#98943) Journal

        Since we are shooting down obvious jokes, Shepard's moon shots never left the moon either. It is Escape Velocity: 2.38 km/s (5324 MPH).

        --
        No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 27 2014, @08:52PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 27 2014, @08:52PM (#98978)
          I just heard a whooshing sound, can't figure if it was an orbital golf ball? or the sound of a joke going over your head?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 28 2014, @09:47AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 28 2014, @09:47AM (#99127)

        It's called humor Sheldon.

  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 27 2014, @04:23PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 27 2014, @04:23PM (#98928)

    They found one of K'Breel's gelsacs.

  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 27 2014, @06:38PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 27 2014, @06:38PM (#98946)

    Mount Sharp is round.
    Hey, Alanis, *THIS* is ironic. [wikipedia.org]

    -- gewg_

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 27 2014, @09:55PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 27 2014, @09:55PM (#98988)
      A curious rock, for sure