|
|
January 8th, 2004
|
|
Mars Rover Will Tell Us: Are There Rocks and Dirt on Other Planets? |
Photos Show a World That May Be Rockier, Dirtier Than Science Fiction Ever Imagined
|
|
 |
|
Scientists are divided on what this puzzling photo really depicts |
Science - Since the dawn of human history, man has looked down at the earth and given thanks for the many kinds of rocks and dirt that are found on it. For just as long, he has looked up at the night sky and wondered, could there also be rocks and dirt on other worlds? NASA's Spirit rover, which this week landed on Mars and began sending back high-resolution photos of the red planet, may finally answer that question.
Scientists have debated for centuries whether rocks and dirt could be found elsewhere in the universe. Could alien worlds have the geological forces necessary to create the complex, jagged formations we know of as rocks? Could these planets have sufficient wind or other meteorological activity to break up those rocks finely enough to form dirt? Or are these phenomena unique to our lonely, precious Earth?
Of course, an extraordinary sequence of events must take place, on a world with exactly the right environmental conditions, in order for rocks and dirt to form. But the universe is infinitely large. Most scientists agree that, among the millions of worlds in the unfathomably vast reaches of space, there must be some planets capable of supporting rocks and dirt.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Most scientists agree that, among the millions of worlds in the unfathomably vast reaches of space, there must be planets capable of supporting rocks and dirt. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If so, what form will they take? Will the rocks be starkly beautiful igneous rocks, formed by volcanic activity, or magnificently layered sedimentary rocks, formed by centuries of gravitational pressure? Will the dirt be fine or coarse, dry or moist? Or could faraway worlds have types of rocks and dirt that we cannot now even imagine?
In the face of these awe-inspiring questions, many observers felt their hearts skip a beat when the Mars rover sent back photographs of what appears, at first glance, to be a breathtaking landscape of rocks and dirt as far as the eye can see. Could it be that we had finally discovered that the rocks and dirt on our planet are not alone?
Scientists say we shouldn't jump to conclusions. "We all want to believe that we really have found rocks and dirt on Mars," says Catherine Weitz, program director for NASA's Mars exploration progam. "Certainly, Spirit has landed on a surface that is quite granular, with some nearby objects that are quite craggy. But we have to remain open to other possibilities. For example, it may be that the rover has landed in some giant alien creature's stash of space cocaine, or a similarly mundane phenomenon."
We won't know for sure, Weitz says, until a spacecraft actually brings back a sample of Martian rocks or dirt. "At this point, any kind of retrieval mission is prohibitively expensive," she laments. "But one day, we will send a probe to Mars that can bring back a cup of dirt or a few small stones. If that happens, it will be a historic day for our species. It will change the way we think about rocks and dirt forever."
|
|
|
