Mars Images - Anomalies

NASA (actually JPL) is currently publishing raw images from Mars. Because many of these images form left-right stereo pairs, I developed a viewer to simplify seeing these in 3D.

As a result, I've spent a fair amount of time looking at the images. Basically, there are 3 types of anomalies discussed on this page


Fossils

Ok, I'm not saying that theses are really fossils, but they are definitely worth more pictures.


Missing Images

Due to how my software works, the names of some of the images on the JPL web site are recorded in local configuration files ... and now some of those images are missing (I think). (In operation, I copy the url's from the JPL web site and paste them into my software. I do NOT type the url's, therefore, missing images are not just typing errors on my part.)

So far, except that they are missing, I don't know of anything unusual about the missing images - no fossils, no foot prints, nothing that should be hidden.


JPL has acknowledged these

These are interesting anomalies that JPL acknowledges. BTW, I think that the official explanations are reasonable.
"bunny rabbit" / "plant"
This is an obvious 3D object that cast a shadow. In the closeup stereo view, this object is obviously lying on the surface. The official explanation is that this was probably a piece of an airbag - ie, it is something we brought, not something that is a part of Mars. At any rate, the object is no longer visible in recent photos. Image (Stereo pair) Article

Fibers
The Opportunity Microscopic Imager has photographed fibers. One of these is obviously real because it is in focus in some images and out of focus in others. Some possibilities are, mineral fibers (bisolite, millerite, and the like), hair (contamination from the lander), synthetic fiber from the lander. The way it is just sitting on the surface indicates that it probably fell off the rover. The "other fibers" that go beneath the soil are not quite so obvious and might be just image artifacts. Main Image Related Images Article


Author: Robert Clemenzi - clemenzi@cpcug.org