[meteorite-list] Martian Meteor Mystery Solved

[MexicoDoug at aol.com]

http://www.space.com/astronotes/astronotes.html

June 28

Mars Mystery Solved!

Of the many intriguing observations taken by the Mars rovers, one of the most 
interesting was not of the surrounding geology. Rather, it was an image of 
the martian atmosphere. Caught in action was something streaking through the 
sky.

At first, Mars scientists operating the rovers thought the fast moving, 
caught-on-camera curiosity was a spacecraft -- perhaps an aging Viking Orbiter 
still circling the red planet.

“The initial thought was that little streak in the sky was an old relic 
spacecraft. There’s a lot of junk in orbit around Mars,” said Steve Squyres of 
Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and principal investigator for the Athena 
science payload toted on each of the Mars rovers. 

Mars meteor captured by Spirit rover.(Click to Enlarge)
http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/imagedisplay/img_display.php?pic=v_mars_co
ntrail_met_02.jpg&cap=Spirit rover image of atmosphere taken through green 
filter. Streak in martian sky can be seen. First thought to be orbiting 
spacecraft, a research group in France says robot caught a Mars meteor. Credit: 
NASA/JPL
    
    
But a research group in France came up with the real story, Squyres reported 
at the American Astronomical Society meeting held earlier this month. The 
study group took a look at predicted times and radiance for meteor showers at 
Mars. Turns out, the Spirit rover image was snapped during one of those showers, 
he said.

“The orientation of the streak in the sky matches the radiant for that shower 
to within a fraction of a degree. So we’ve seen a martian meteor,” Squyres 
said.

-- Leonard David

    
    
    
    

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