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Space/Science » in reply to Right on with the streaks, but be aware of summer images, too

re: Right on with the streaks, but be aware of summer images, too
Greg Orme — (archived)

Wouldn't it be easier if we had a probe that landed right next to some spider ravines, so that we could see what they looked like? By an odd coincidence it appears that this in fact did happen. After looking all over Mars I found only one place with spiders, and it was only a few kilometers away from one of the Viking landers. In this page:

http://www.martianspiders.com/spiderpaper.htm

Viking spiders

Oddly enough Viking 2[130] landed[131] nearly in the middle of a sub polar
area that seem truly spider like[132]. Interestingly some troughs perhaps related
to spider ravines were found near Viking 2[133]. While other explanations were
also suggested the presence of the spiders nearby and their association with
sometimes polygonal ravines makes these troughs possibly from spiders. These
“enigmatic troughs”[134] can be traced in a sequence of photos[135]. If they
are spider ravines it might indicate when the spiders seasonally dissipate they
might at times leave ravines too shallow to see. There are also pits[136] in
the area of unknown origin. Figures 195[137],199[138], and 200[139] may also
be troughs. Figures 290, 210 and 211[140] show paler areas devoid of rocks,
which may also be related to spiders. Of course there are many other explanations
but the proximity to the spiders makes these interesting. Spider branches in
E0200503 are 1-3 pixels wide with a pixel width[141] here of 9.46 meters[142].
Since spiders typically have a paler albedo and a comparable branch width to
these pale patches it is possible these may be spider remnants. Here[143] they
also look like dunes. A mosaic[144] also has a good view of these troughs. If
so they probably represent the only images that might contain them.

[130] http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog?sc=1975-083C

[131]

“Location of Mars Pathfinder landing site in MOC image 25603. The lander is located in the center of the white box. The original resolution of the MOC image was about 3.3 meters (11 feet) per pixel; however, because the region was hazy at the time the picture was taken, the effective resolution is only about 5 meters (16.4 feet) per pixel. Thus, the lander and rover are too small to actually be seen in the image. The colored box, 120 m (just under 400 ft) on a side, is the topographic map of the landing site.”

http://calspace.ucsd.edu/marsnow/library/mars_exploration/robotic_missions/landers/sample_return/images/landing_site_selection1-pic02.gif


http://calspace.ucsd.edu/marsnow/library/mars_exploration/robotic_missions/landers/sample_return/landing_site_selection1.html

[132]

E0200503 E0600815 M1501410

[133] “Within a few meters of the spacecraft are some interconnected, drift-filled troughs, 1 m across and 10 cm deep. They appear to form a polygonal pattern that mimics the pattern observed on a much larger scale in the orbiter photographs. Their origin is unknown.”

http://cmex-www.arc.nasa.gov/CMEX/data/SiteCat/sitecat2/Vikings2.htm

[134]

“Figure 100 is one of the more instructive pictures taken at the Viking 2 site. A linear depression, or trench, can be traced across the middle of the picture. The bottom of the trench is 10 to 15 cm lower than bordering lips. The trench can be traced more than 10 m (figs. 103 to 106), trending generally east west and descending slightly to the east. It is partly filled with sediment finer than on adjacent surfaces.”

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-425/ch28.htm

[135] Figures 103 to 106

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-425/ch28.htm

[136]

ibid “Oblique lighting in figure 134 accentuates pits so large they look like small craters. Indeed, if Mars lacked a shielding atmosphere that destroyed small meteoroids, an impact origin for the pits probably would be favored.”

[137] http://history.nasa.gov/SP-425/ch39.htm

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-425/p137a.htm

[138] http://history.nasa.gov/SP-425/ch39.htm

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-425/p139.htm

[139] http://history.nasa.gov/SP-425/ch39.htm

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-425/p140a.htm

[140] http://history.nasa.gov/SP-425/ch41.htm

http://history.nasa.gov/SP-425/p146.htm

[141]http://barsoom.msss.com/moc_gallery/e01_e06/explain.html#col11

[142]Scaled pixel width: 9.46 meters

[143] http://www.solarviews.com/cap/mars/12d08x.htm

[144] http://www.solarviews.com/cap/mars/vlmos2c.htm

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