What is this a pic of?

[element]

The caption under the pic:

"Microscopic Imager Non-linearized Full frame EDR acquired on Sol 61 of Opportunity's mission to Meridiani Planum at approximately at approximately 11:36:12 Mars local solar time, Microscopic Imager dust cover commanded to be OPEN. NASA/JPL/Cornell/USGS "

Pic from opportunity

Link fixed, I screwed it up at first heh

 

[rh71]

learn to link

 

[vladbot]

Originally posted by: rh71
learn to link

 

[RabidMongoose]

space monkeys?

 

[element]

bump cause I foobared the link but it's fixed now

 

[abracadabra1]

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/1/m/061/1M133598293EFF0830P2957M2M1.JPG

 

[Eli]

Hmmmm....

Looks interesting, whatever it is.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Could be parts from any number of things we've lost in space.

 

[Eli]

It's supposed to be microscopic..

But are those (albeit very small) phillips head screws I see in the upper right? :Q

 

[fredtam]

It is an imprint from the grinder or some other instrument.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: Eli
It's supposed to be microscopic..

But are those (albeit very small) phillips head screws I see in the upper right? :Q

That's what I thought, but the stamp is too off center of the head to be a real screw.

 

[element]

Originally posted by: Eli
It's supposed to be microscopic..

But are those (albeit very small) phillips head screws I see in the upper right? :Q

The one on the top left looks like it could be. The top right one looks like it too except the grooves are off center looking.

 

[SWScorch]

it's either a part of the rover, an imprint from the rover, or something very alien. It's obviously not organic, as nature does not produce such perfect circles. Unles of course it's either on a really large scale (a planet, which is still an oblate spheroid) or on a very small scale, like an atom.

 

[element]

Originally posted by: FFMCobalt
Could be parts from any number of things we've lost in space.

Could be, but what are the odds something would float away and end up on Mars? Pretty slim, though that seems like the likeliest explanation.

 

[element]

Originally posted by: SWScorch
it's either a part of the rover, an imprint from the rover, or something very alien. It's obviously not organic, as nature does not produce such perfect circles. Unles of course it's either on a really large scale (a planet, which is still an oblate spheroid) or on a very small scale, like an atom.

Plant stems are pretty circular and made by nature. Well at least on earth. But yeah this doesn't look like anything natural.

 

[SWScorch]

hmm, yes, that is true, but they still have an appearance of randomness. Good point though. Still, that looks very inorganic.

 

[fredtam]

Again it is an imprint of an instrument. Looks like the spectrometer.

 

[Schadenfroh]

wtf, its microscopic and found on mars?

 

[HappyPuppy]

OMG, it's the fvcking Martians getting ready to invade EARTH!!!!:Q

 

[element]

Originally posted by: fredtam
Again it is an imprint of an instrument. Looks like the spectrometer.

The one you linked to looks like an imprint, but this one looks a bit different don't you think? The one you linked to is a pic taken on Sol 65, the one I linked to is from Sol 61.

 

[Atomic Rooster]

It's an imprint from the spectrometer.

 

[gsaldivar]

The shape you are seeing is an imprint of the front of the imager as it pressed up against the soil to take a close-up image.

 

[midnightrat]

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy
OMG, it's the fvcking Martians getting ready to invade EARTH!!!!:Q

 

[gsaldivar]

I think this is the image the OP meant to link to.

Here's the discussion.

 

if it's microscopic, how can it be an imprint??

or is it not microscopic?