Object in Phoenix Lander gets scientists’ attention
posted at 12:45 pm on May 28, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
On Monday, I pointed out a strange feature on the image of Mars’ horizon in the first pictures to get sent back to Earth from the Mars Phoenix Lander. Some dismissed it as an anomaly in the digital photography, but it has appeared on several pictures now. The unusual shape has some researchers very curious:
Here is the picture from Monday:
It’s almost certainly a rock, but Mars doesn’t have many with that luminosity and that shape. Everything else in the view of Phoenix looks dust-covered and relatively small. Its unusual appearance makes it stand out from everything else in the rather bleak landscape.
So what do you think it is? A message from Future Mars? Or a portal to Past Mars? Or just a cool-looking rock that will eventually get used by Hollywood for even less-intelligent fare?
Update: John discovers what the object is, and is thankful that there are snacks on Mars.
Blowback
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Thinking outside the box… is possible that it might be space junk from a previous failed mission?
beatcanvas on May 28, 2008 at 12:48 PM
My local news station called it a “structure”. Ha ha ha ha ha
txsurveyor on May 28, 2008 at 12:49 PM
Obviously, it’s the monolith.
Cicero43 on May 28, 2008 at 12:49 PM
Scott McClellan really though he could hide?
tomas on May 28, 2008 at 12:49 PM
Veger!
regal on May 28, 2008 at 12:49 PM
My vote: A portal to inner Mars. The “rock” will mysteriously open and inside will be a chamber full of “Martians” inside glass-tube-thingies and there will be a big red button and the Phoenix Lander will accidentally trip and hit the red button and then all hell will break loose.
Caveat: I am not a scientist so what the hell do I know?
HawaiiLwyr on May 28, 2008 at 12:50 PM
So that’s where I left my keys.
NotCoach on May 28, 2008 at 12:50 PM
Classic, an obscure reference worthy of the capitain.
Squid Shark on May 28, 2008 at 12:50 PM
Probably a memorial to farrakkan when he was visiting one time with his space friends.
L
letget on May 28, 2008 at 12:50 PM
That seems like it would be pretty stunning if true. What are the odds of hitting the same place on a huge empty planet twice from 400 million miles away?
Lehosh on May 28, 2008 at 12:51 PM
A Wall Drug billboard.
CUS on May 28, 2008 at 12:52 PM
obviously it’s all that’s left of the Martian civilization that didn’t purchase enough carbon credits, and thereby destroyed the planet with global warming.
kirkill on May 28, 2008 at 12:53 PM
It’s a Karl Rove plant to get furture funding for NASA!
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on May 28, 2008 at 12:53 PM
It might be a transformer! Like in the movie!
gator70 on May 28, 2008 at 12:54 PM
it’s an Obama lawn sign
zane on May 28, 2008 at 12:55 PM
its scott mclellans credibility.
zane on May 28, 2008 at 12:55 PM
Charlie Crist’s silver pate!
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
Or the one.
You know.
tree hugging sister on May 28, 2008 at 12:55 PM
It’s Rush Limbaugh’s secret antenna that he uses to contact his people back on the home world. : )
pilamaye on May 28, 2008 at 12:55 PM
Did I mention the “Martians” are all super delegates who are going to vote for Hilary. All hell is gonna break loose I am tellin ya!!!!
HawaiiLwyr on May 28, 2008 at 12:56 PM
Ten bucks says it’s dead pixels.
MadisonConservative on May 28, 2008 at 12:56 PM
ITs the Martian version of Mecca any time now Martian Muslims will line up to pray to it.
William Amos on May 28, 2008 at 12:56 PM
Ask Dennis Kucinich what it is. He’d know!
sdd on May 28, 2008 at 12:56 PM
Has anyone seen Will and the robot?
Cicero43 on May 28, 2008 at 12:57 PM
As I mentioned on Monday, I still think it is part of the re-entry package, parachute, heat shield.
Zorro on May 28, 2008 at 12:57 PM
Heat shield stuck like a turned up coin, edge on?
Dunno. The cam has a stereo function and distance and size should be easy to calculate.
Either that or it’s a sandworm.
Limerick on May 28, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Ratings Generator.
RushBaby on May 28, 2008 at 1:00 PM
If it turns out to be a Chinese flag pole we are in for the biggest shake up since Sputnik.
Limerick on May 28, 2008 at 1:00 PM
It looks like a bit of dirt on the camera lens to me.
Mew
acat on May 28, 2008 at 1:00 PM
Why only in one azimuth of the cam? Or do you mean that individual shot?
Limerick on May 28, 2008 at 1:01 PM
Tars Tarkas dropped his sword while flying to Helium.
Romeo13 on May 28, 2008 at 1:02 PM
Dead Pixels! Bush is now killing pixels? Where will it end???
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on May 28, 2008 at 1:02 PM
It is clearly the marker for the north pole of Mars.
Think_b4_speaking on May 28, 2008 at 1:03 PM
It could be a non-Mars rock, that is, a meteorite.
As to looking for biological material on Mars: of course they’re going to find it. Several million tons of Earth has been dumped on Mars over the last few billion years. The odds that none of it contained any biological material is remote in the extreme. Finding such material on Mars won’t prove two separate origins of life.
JS on May 28, 2008 at 1:03 PM
Seriously, it could be leftovers from the Phoenix entry package, or from the numerous previous missions to Mars, including Russian and Japanese as well as American.
Think_b4_speaking on May 28, 2008 at 1:04 PM
Signs of Global Warming…. and SUV
Kini on May 28, 2008 at 1:06 PM
Agree.
upinak on May 28, 2008 at 1:06 PM
Whatever it is… one of Obama’s family members had a part in it.
regal on May 28, 2008 at 1:08 PM
Obviously a G3 antenna for the new iPhone. Get ready to upgrade, Allah.
ej_pez on May 28, 2008 at 1:08 PM
Dead Pixels???
Isn’t that a rock band?
MarkTheGreat on May 28, 2008 at 1:08 PM
It’s Ricky Schroeder’s thumb.
bbz123 on May 28, 2008 at 1:08 PM
It’s an ancient Palestinian village minaret, obviously.
max on May 28, 2008 at 1:08 PM
HAHAHAHA!
But as a nerd and a Trekkie, I must inform you that it’s spelled “VYGER”
Sir Andrew on May 28, 2008 at 1:10 PM
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j270/JohnnyGunn/Mars_440.jpg
Mystery Solved
EJDolbow on May 28, 2008 at 1:10 PM
Isn’t there a Muslim photographer on staff that could P-shop out that dust or hair?
BL@KBIRD on May 28, 2008 at 1:10 PM
Think it is a monolith? I see Space Oddessey coming our way:
“Good Morning, Allah.”
upinak on May 28, 2008 at 1:10 PM
I think enough is enough.
The government should spend the people’s money on the people, to benefit the people.
America has aged infrastructures, poor and uninsured people more than any other Western or even many Third World nations.
I don’t believe in UFOs. I don’t believe in Aliens. I don’t believe that there is another life except on Earth. And I don’t believe in Space exploration.
I believe it’s a whole load of crap what NASA and other space agencies are doing right now.
Space Station? Bullcrap.
It sounded fascinating at first, but there is a limit for fun.
The game must stop.
I think we have to explore our Earth first. We have to better life on Earth first. We have to live peacefully among ourselves first. We have so much to do here on Earth first.
God created Earth for us so we can live life to its fullest.
We refused His offer and now we are wasting our time, money and energy on nothing, instead of using these resources to improve life on Earth, for all Humans.
How Humans are stupid!
Indeed.
Indy Conservative on May 28, 2008 at 1:10 PM
I thought it was “V’ger.”
Looks to me like a can of Yeuingling.
CurtZHP on May 28, 2008 at 1:13 PM
tee hee
RushBaby on May 28, 2008 at 1:13 PM
Ahnuld knows dere’s only one vay to find oht… Get ya azz ta Maahs!
ScottMcC on May 28, 2008 at 1:16 PM
HAHAHAHAHA!!!
kcd on May 28, 2008 at 1:20 PM
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Scoreboard44 on May 28, 2008 at 1:23 PM
Oh for goodness sake people! A five year old could tell what that is! It’s an angels toe-nail clipping. Grow up!
kcd on May 28, 2008 at 1:24 PM
No more needs to be said.
Scoreboard44 on May 28, 2008 at 1:24 PM
I think you left out “I believe the world is flat”
bcre8v on May 28, 2008 at 1:27 PM
Maybe “it”, such as there is of “it” is a monument to Al Gore saying “We should have listened to the Goracle’.
MB4 on May 28, 2008 at 1:27 PM
An Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator.
Tanya on May 28, 2008 at 1:28 PM
I believe you missed my point. But I’m not surprised.
Indy Conservative on May 28, 2008 at 1:28 PM
V’Ger, according to imdb.com
…I thought I was nerd enough to know that.
regal on May 28, 2008 at 1:29 PM
We found another, more compelling photo from the Phoenix lander.
Exurban Jon on May 28, 2008 at 1:32 PM
They actually have a zoomed-in shot here, looks pretty interesting.
WisCon on May 28, 2008 at 1:34 PM
On a more serious note, to answer Ed Morrissey’s questions:
I think the object in question is a
Magnisticto-Triptographic-Gastronuclear Acid FU-69-WC.
Or in laymen term, it’s frozen crystallized turd.
My guess it was lost in space after the International Space Stations discharged itself.
Indy Conservative on May 28, 2008 at 1:36 PM
WisCon needs a taste o’ me backhand…
innominatus on May 28, 2008 at 1:36 PM
Periscope. Who’s watching who?
dingbat on May 28, 2008 at 1:36 PM
I object! A Green Martian would never drop his sword, save in death.
More likely a radium rifle.
DRPrice on May 28, 2008 at 1:38 PM
Bush lied, pixels died.
And Indy Conservative isn’t.
kirkill on May 28, 2008 at 1:40 PM
C’mon people…it’s the flag! You know, the one Neil Armstrong left there in 1969….
Brat on May 28, 2008 at 1:42 PM
Hey, Brat! It’s impolite to point out that Rep. Jackson-Lee is an idiot.
thekingtut on May 28, 2008 at 1:46 PM
Nah. His credibility isn’t that big.
backwoods conservative on May 28, 2008 at 1:47 PM
It’s part of Major General Stanley’s umbrella.
Or maybe the pirates’ crowbar, centre-bit or skeletonic keys.
Bigfoot on May 28, 2008 at 1:47 PM
Racist!
Cicero43 on May 28, 2008 at 1:48 PM
its jimmy hoffa
wildweasel on May 28, 2008 at 1:49 PM
Now stop blocking my view of Venus.
CyberCipher on May 28, 2008 at 1:50 PM
Nah, we got it. We just disagree.
The only thing the federal government is good at is military action and exploring the galaxy. There isn’t much The Federal Goverment can do for poor people and getting rid of NASA isn’t going to fix any potholes. They would just blow the cash on another useless social program.
80-90 percent of our tax money is wasted in Washington. At least NASA can actually provide something useful and tangible with what little money they are budgeted. I work for a semi-govermental agency, and if they could actually set piles of dollar bills on fire, they would.
Oh, and on topic, we are looking at the parachute or other debris from the probe that was jettisoned right after landing.
Asher on May 28, 2008 at 1:52 PM
It’s Osama bin Laden.
Kafir on May 28, 2008 at 1:53 PM
Now how do I take this?
As a compliment or as an insult?
Or with a glass of water?
Indy Conservative on May 28, 2008 at 1:53 PM
It might be some kind of shiny thing.
Akzed on May 28, 2008 at 1:53 PM
NASA? Has little money?
Can provide something useful?
I love science fiction movies too.
Indy Conservative on May 28, 2008 at 1:55 PM
“And the Meek shall inherit the Earth”….
Romeo’s addendum… “cause the rest of us are going to leave…”
Romeo13 on May 28, 2008 at 1:58 PM
Really? I don’t think God created this vast universe so we could sit on our particular rock and throw money at poor people. He wants us to grow and explore His creation. We recently discovered an Earth-like planet orbiting a red dwarf. I say we figure out a way to go there and leave the Muslims here. Then, they can have the entire Earth for Allah without any pesky infidels getting in the way.
Kafir on May 28, 2008 at 2:00 PM
You’re all wrong. Especially you Star Trek people. It’s the antenna from an Arakyd Industries Viper class probe droid. The Empire is watching us now.
thekingtut on May 28, 2008 at 2:01 PM
Bye!
Indy Conservative on May 28, 2008 at 2:02 PM
I think it’s Stanley Kubrick.
robblefarian on May 28, 2008 at 2:03 PM
Where is the ticket counter for the “Earth-like planet orbiting a red dwarf” ?
Indy Conservative on May 28, 2008 at 2:04 PM
Why do I get the Darth Vadar theme in the back of my head now with Romeo’s comment:
BA BA BA BABA BAAA BABA BAAAA… DA DA DA DADUMDA DADUMDA… And here comes Indy: Romeo, You are God’s Son!… 8*breathing** puuuu-haaaa puuuu-haaaa
LMFAO sorry…
upinak on May 28, 2008 at 2:04 PM
Looks to me like it’s an Illudium Q-36 explosive space modulator.
CurtZHP on May 28, 2008 at 2:05 PM
Indy Conservative, do you know anyone with a pacemaker? That’s the result of NASA research.
thekingtut on May 28, 2008 at 2:06 PM
Nasa has coume out with many things:
Velcro (sorry I LOVE velcro!)
Pens that work any which way and in cold temps
That cool memory foam
freeze dried food (and the ice cream of course)
countless other things!
upinak on May 28, 2008 at 2:08 PM
“For every $1 the federal government spends on NASA, it spends $98 on social programs. In other words, if we cut spending on social programs by a mere one percent, we could very nearly double NASA’s budget.”
The Space Review
Like I said…very little money as a total percentage of the budget. If you are really concerned about wasteful spending, why are you looking at NASA? There are a lot of department budgets that exceed theirs by billions. Robin Hood wasn’t a great legend because he robbed from the poor to give to the rich.
I’d start with the Education department…NASA produces science, they produce regulations.
And I’ve never understood the belief that exploring the galaxy was a waste of time. If that’s the case, then life is a waste of time, because we devote most of our own lives learning, exploring and discovering. Why should the species as a whole suddenly turn inward and hide from the universe?
I abhor this attitude, quite frankly. How boring and banal the world must be…and how useless.
Asher on May 28, 2008 at 2:08 PM
Whut? I didn’t! She was right, wuzn’t she? I know I done seen that astronaut put a flag there.
Brat on May 28, 2008 at 2:09 PM
One of The Messiah’s uncles planted a flag there back in the 40′s. Under sniper fire, yet.
shaken on May 28, 2008 at 2:10 PM
Definitely another Starbucks location.
Damnit!
msipes on May 28, 2008 at 2:12 PM
Man, I wish I could go to mars.
Darth Executor on May 28, 2008 at 2:12 PM
Wasteful research is what I’m talking about. But traveling to nowhere for no reason except for curiosity is a waste of everything that could be used here on Earth to improve life.
Indy Conservative on May 28, 2008 at 2:14 PM
I believe I answered you in my original post and in this one Indy Conservative on May 28, 2008 at 2:14 PM.
Indy Conservative on May 28, 2008 at 2:15 PM
NASA didn’t invent Velcro. That’s a myth. George de Mestral did. They didn’t invent “Tang” either.
robblefarian on May 28, 2008 at 2:16 PM
It’s a sword stuck in the heart of Osama with a piece of paper reading “Welcome to Hell, compliments USMC”
faraway on May 28, 2008 at 2:17 PM
IndyCon, NASA has produced as much useful technological innovation per capita (in terms of budget) as the military has in its quest to search the upper atmosphere and space. Much of that technology is now in use in our everyday lives.
Let’s see:
- Rocketry
- Satellite tech
- Doppler radar and advanced weather prediction
- Modern computational simulation
And hundreds of other innovations that are critical to furthering what you claim to be “more important” than space exploration.
spmat on May 28, 2008 at 2:18 PM
geyser
carbon dioxide vent depositing a column of dry ice
rockhauler on May 28, 2008 at 2:19 PM
spmat, GPS would be number one.
faraway on May 28, 2008 at 2:20 PM
Actually, if it’s anything, it’s probably something that fell off the lander on the way down. In that way, it’s like my car as parts fly off as it goes down the road.
faraway on May 28, 2008 at 2:21 PM
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