NASA’s Curiosity rover finds ‘flower’ on surface of Mars?

[malaise]

http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/IQdwitaPWK6FRaPQf2o2LA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/nasa-curiosity-rover-finds-flower-surface-mars-220649001.html
<snip>
NASA has released a series of new photos taken by its Curiosity rover that appear to show a “flower” on the surface of Mars.

NBCNews.com’s photo blog reports that the photos were taken as part of an effort to capture 360-degree images during Curiosity’s trek through Mars’ Yellowknife Bay.

New Jersey-based journalist and photographer Ken Kramer has assembled the Curiosity photographs, adding color to give a realistic view of what the rover is seeing on the planet’s surface.

But what has really caught people’s attention is a raw image from NASA’s photo feed that one reader on Above Top Secret has called a “Martian flower.” On the posting, the commenter going by the name “Arken,” writes: “The Albedo (or Reflectivity of Sun Light) of this object is very high, and its translucent appearance, the irregular conformation (like pistils) and the 'texture' of its wider areas is smooth, and seem that it is ground attached. This is the SECOND TRANSLUCENT ANOMALY detected by Curiosity in Gale Crater.”

[demwing]

1. looks like a rock to me, polished by erosion

as much as I want it to look like something alive, still looks like a smooth bit of rock.

[Mariana]

14. Looks to me like a piece of quartz. nt.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

16. yep, mostly quartz I bet

$1
any takers?

[NYC Liberal]

17. I agree. But still looks cool.

[mmonk]

2. A piece of cellophane some alien species left behind.

Everyone throws their trash out the window these days.

[NRaleighLiberal]

3. one of the last twinkies wrappers...ever!

[Frustratedlady]

4. Bingo!

[mmonk]

20. .

[jpak]

5. It's obviously the nacreous layer of a Martian fossil sea shell

I will name it Jpakus grandifolia

[malaise]

11. Bwaaaaaaaaah -Jpakus grandifolia

[slackmaster]

6. Weather balloon

Or marsh gas.

[Octafish]

13. Reflections in the atmosphere.

Thermal inversion layer.

[rusty fender]

19. LOLOLOLOLOL!

[Nye Bevan]

7. That's it! The switch that, when pushed, will oxygenate Mars' atmosphere! (nt)

[WilliamPitt]

8. The Hamburger Helper guy

Origins revealed.

[malaise]

10. I thought it was a piece of Newt's trash

[loli phabay]

9. looks like old dog poop. amazing find though.

[farminator3000]

12. looks a little like a snapdragon...

NBC’s Alan Boyle writes that he at first assumed the “flower” was actually just a piece of plastic that had fallen off the Curiosity rover. A similar event happened in October. So, Boyle reached out to NASA spokesman Guy Webster. Interestingly, Webster shot down the plastic theory, saying in response, "That appears to be part of the rock, not debris from the spacecraft."

On Wednesday, scientists announced that an ancient rock that traveled from Mars to Earth over 2 billion years ago appears to have interacted with water on the planet’s surface.

[Recursion]

15. Looks like a flower of gypsum

You see stuff like that spelunking sometimes.

[Posteritatis]

18. Seriously? Yahoo sucks enough, but Yahoo citing Above Top Secret is just silly. (nt)

[IDemo]

21. It almost appears to my eyes

that it could have been attached to the rock at the upper-left corner of the red rectangle. The curvature almost seems to fit.

[edbermac]

22. Martian weed?

This shit is FAR OUT!

[malaise]

24. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaah

That's some serious weed

[greyl]

23. A stupid description from one poster on Above Top Secret?

What a great subject for a news story, Yahoo!