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Picture sparks claims of wood on Mars
Jon Swaine
London
Telegraph
Wednesday, Dec 03, 2008
A photograph of the surface of Mars showing a mysterious
object has prompted a wave of speculation over alien involvement.
The picture, which was taken as part of Nasa's Mars
Exploration Rover mission in May 2004, has given excitable internet
message board users reason to believe that a civilisation has
formed on the planet.
(ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW)
Some of the more far-fetched theories over the object's identity
range from a plank of wood to a giant flake.
However, Dr Jim Bell, an Associate Professor of Astronomy at
Cornell University and the lead scientist in the development of
the Rover project's cameras, has provided an alternative explanation.
He told the Universe Today website that "sadly" there
was no wood in the picture, adding: "I say 'sadly' because
personally I think it would be incredible and spectacular to find
a wooden plank on Mars. However, in this case, it's just a trick
of the lighting and the viewing angle.
He added: "What you're seeing is a piece of flat, platy,
layered sulfur-rich outcrop rock ... Sometimes, like in this case,
those flat, platy rocks have been tilted or dislodged, this one
probably from the forces associated with the huge impact crater
that formed nearby.
"And this one's being viewed edge-on. That edge-on view,
combined with the layered nature of these rocks in general gives
the surface a sort of grainy texture. So, indeed, it looks like
a wooden plank on Mars."
Full
article here
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INFOWARS:
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