Mars' orbital telescope and ice rock

[cph]

Might one place a telescope in Mars orbit, in order to obtain 6" to 1 ft resolution, looking for closeup geological views; such as mars' stromatolytic fossils, or mars' ice (rock) on the surface, in form of a smooth surface that seems a bit odd? Might billions year old Mars' ice be opaque to light, and take on the appearance of rock, but very light weight rock? So is there mars' ice rock on the surface? Do any of the Mars meteroites on Earth have in part Mars rock ice?

 

[brother time]

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/news/phoenix-20080731.html
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEMCHPYEM4E_0.html

However we do not have any proof that there is water on mars. The meteor have not yielded any H2O samples.

cheers, BT

 

[cph]

Might one place a telescope in Mars orbit, in order to obtain 2 mm resolution, looking for closeup geological views; such as mars' stromatolytic fossils, or mars' ice (rock) on the surface, in form of a smooth surface that seems a bit odd? Might billions year old Mars' ice be opaque to light, and take on the appearance of rock, but very light weight rock? So is there mars' ice rock on the surface? Do any of the Mars meteroites on Earth have in part Mars rock ice?

As noted 2 mm resolution (that of a field geologist) would be better. Also placing a Moon orbiter (rover-like) with a telescope, looking for Moon rock ice etc. For example, what appears to be a rock effacement, might continue into mottled appearance for near to reflected light. Thus a geological data base at 2mm resolution also for the Moon; equivalent to placing a geologist on the Moon.

 

[cph]

As noted 2 mm resolution (that of a field geologist) would be better. Also placing a Moon orbiter (rover-like) with a telescope, looking for Moon rock ice etc. For example, what appears to be a rock effacement, might continue into mottled appearance for near to reflected light. Such mottled appearance might be considered the definative sign of so-called rock ice. Thus a geological data base at 2mm resolution also for the Moon; equivalent to placing a geologist on the Moon.

Likewise one could put such rover orbiter, with 2mm resolution, for earth. Thus allowing for exploration of remote areas, such as east of Ural mts. Also perhaps useful for anthropological exploration for fossils in remote fields.

 

[sardar]

Thank you for your inquiry. I can say that the idea of placing a telescope in Mars orbit to obtain high resolution images of the planet's surface is certainly feasible. However, the resolution of 6" to 1 ft may not be sufficient to capture close-up geological views of Mars' stromatolytic fossils or ice rocks on the surface. We would need a much higher resolution instrument to be able to detect such small features on the planet's surface.

Regarding the presence of ice rocks on Mars, it is certainly possible that there may be ice deposits on the surface of the planet. However, the appearance of these ice rocks may not be as smooth as you have described. Ice exposed to the harsh conditions on Mars may be weathered and eroded, making it difficult to distinguish from other types of rocks.

Additionally, while it is possible that some of the meteorites found on Earth may contain fragments of Mars' surface, it is unlikely that they would contain ice rocks. The extreme temperatures and conditions during the meteorite's journey to Earth would likely cause any ice to melt or sublimate.

In summary, while it is possible that there may be ice rocks on Mars' surface, further research and investigation is needed to confirm this. A telescope in Mars orbit may provide valuable insights, but higher resolution instruments would be needed to detect smaller features such as stromatolytic fossils or ice rocks.