Forum: Space / Science

on Thu 08 of July, 2010 21:35 PDT, by Marcia

I've thought possitive about this region:

http://mars10.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/timeline/prelaunch/landingsiteselection/mawrthvallis2/ (external link)

Then, there's Holden, a VERY old crater, but that can be a good thing (providing we dig deep.... Mawrth Vallis hold promise.... please, DIG!!!!

on Fri 09 of July, 2010 20:12 PDT, by Nick H

That mound actually rises higher than the crater rim, which is a bit odd. I like odd, it means there's something we haven't understood yet. I personally see this mound as a giant hydrothermal system - an aqueous volcano with lots of dissolved minerals, emerging at the surface in a series of geysers and crystallising layer after layer of dissolved material.

Whatever it's exact origin, it's intriguing and worthy of study.

I also like Eberswalde, but it's very old and the evi9dence we're looking for may be at least partially obscured by younger drifts of material. Marwth is a bit too similar to Viking 1 and Pathfinder lander sites for my liking, but it is a bit more proximal to the source of the floods.

Holden is a bit bland, at the landing site, then possibly hard to get into the interesting areas. Unfortunately, it looks like the sort of safe landing area that gets a site chosen at the expende of great science in another more difficult spot.

Ah well...

on Mon 12 of July, 2010 14:50 PDT, by Marcia

"on Fri 09 of July, 2010 20:12 PDT, by Nick H That mound actually rises higher than the crater rim, which is a bit odd. I like odd, it means there's something we haven't understood yet. I personally see this mound as a giant hydrothermal system - an aqueous volcano with lots of dissolved minerals, emerging at the surface in a series of geysers and crystallising layer after layer of dissolved material."

So, you think that Gale Crater died before if errupted? Odd is right. I like odd too, for it is an archeological feature.

Check mate? Maybe?

Cheers, Nick.

Forum: Space / Science

Mawrth Vallis - good choice.

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