plastic on Mars?

6 years 11 months ago #8733 by ssake

plastic on Mars? was created by ssake

Does anybody remember this one? I believe the official explanation is that some plastic sheath had come off the Rover--but this looks old and weathered. It clearly looks like what's left of a plastic bottle or casing, and it doesn't look new. I'm sorry I didn't record which image this came off of.

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6 years 11 months ago #8734 by Todd

Replied by Todd on topic plastic on Mars?

It shows up in MAHLI-cam images taken on sol 65.

mars.nasa.gov/msl/multimedia/raw/?s=65&camera=MAHLI

If it is plastic, and it looks like it is, it is probably from the rover. Plastic does decompose on Earth after about 450 - 500 years, on Mars it might last a little longer, but not too much longer.

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6 years 11 months ago #8737 by Badsneaker

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This item apparently caused a bit of a stir among the scientists at the time.
I didn't see any reference to material having fallen off Curiosity, however they did gave it 2 labels, FOD (Foreign Object Debris) and Benign Plastic debris.

I started looking up here: www.midnightplanets.com/web/MSL/observations.html#sol00065 paying attention to the links regarding the MAHLI

You can also download the lossless png image from the Washington University in St. Louis website.

If anyone has any more references to the anomaly I would appreciate seeing them.

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6 years 11 months ago #8739 by Todd

Replied by Todd on topic plastic on Mars?

Here it is processed from the PDS raw DRCX .img files with the chemcam images and an enlargement. I just think it came off the rover because it's early in the mission, and after a scoop. It looks like a plastic sheath for a wire, but I'm not sure we'll ever really know. :unsure:

NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL originals

0065MH0000550000100594R00_DRCX(chs.1,2,3)-2.png

0065MH0000740000100592R00_DRCX(chs.1,2,3)-2.png

0065MH0000740000100592R00_DRCX(chs.1,2,3)crp-2.png

NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS originals

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6 years 11 months ago #8740 by RocketDawg

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The JPL folks should have readily identified it since they since they know every minute part of the rover. Looks like it was ripped, probably when some rover part moved.

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6 years 11 months ago #8741 by ssake

Replied by ssake on topic plastic on Mars?

Probably. I think if I was designing the Rover, I wouldn't use translucent plastic that could rip off like that; but if stuff like this survived natively on Mars, there should be a lot more of it. Maybe it's like the plastic sheath on a new cell phone, and somebody just forgot to peel it off?

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6 years 11 months ago #8742 by Badsneaker

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I believe RocketDawg has the best explanation. I am surprised though that the scientists initially reviewing the image didn't come up with that explanation.

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