What part of Mars Rover or Mars satellite has this cone object fallen from?

[Julian_M]

Note the cone shaped object partially embedded in the surface at the lower right, see original at:

https://mars.nasa.gov/raw_images/1108577/

What part of any Rover has it? If it fell down from one of the orbiting Mars satellite. Won't the reentry burn it? I presume Mars has totally no atmosphere so any object falling into it won't get burnt?

 

[berkeman]

Oops. @PeterDonis

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FwoTCMD6ncPIkZMDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAI&opi=89978449

 

[AlexB23]

View attachment 370059

Note the cone shaped object partially embedded in the surface at the lower right, see original at:

https://mars.nasa.gov/raw_images/1108577/

What part of any Rover has it? If it fell down from one of the orbiting Mars satellite. Won't the reentry burn it? I presume Mars has totally no atmosphere so any object falling into it won't get burnt?

Could this be the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mars Descent Imager (MARDI)? That has a cone shape.

https://www.msss.com/science/msl-mardi-instrument-description.php

 

[renormalize]

https://mars.nasa.gov/raw_images/1108577/

Your link gives this raw image at NASA, which is a different photo from the one you showed, and contains no cone. Where did your photo actually come from?

EDIT: Sorry, I spoke too soon! The cone is at the right side below the middle. So your question is definitely valid! But where did the color version come from?

 

[AlexB23]

Your link gives this raw image at NASA, which is a different photo from the one you showed, and contains no cone. Where did your photo actually come from?
View attachment 370063

Did he find the photo from a news article instead of NASA? Sometimes the lower quality news articles, especially tabloids, may Photoshop in objects or use AI to get clicks

 

[Baluncore]

Google images says:
This scene was captured by the rover's Mast Camera (Mastcam) during its mission to study the geology of Mars in 2022.
NASA has not officially commented on this mysterious cylindrical object.

 

[Julian_M]

Your link gives this raw image at NASA, which is a different photo from the one you showed, and contains no cone. Where did your photo actually come from?
View attachment 370063
EDIT: Sorry, I spoke too soon! The cone is at the right side below the middle. So your question is definitely valid! But where did the color version come from?

The colored photos can be found in this:

Is it possible it is not a cone but a long pole with rest buried? Where is the ESA rover crash site, could a part fall down and got embedded? If it came from the satellite, is there no re-entry burn in Mars?

 

[DaveC426913]

If it came from the satellite, is there no re-entry burn in Mars?

Mars atmo is ~.6kPA - less than 1% of an Earth atmo. It's effectively vacuum.

Mars orbital velocity is roughly 3.5km/s. ChatGPT thinks (for what that's worth) even a small object would impact at about 3km/s. So, virtually no aero-braking.

The bigger question is how would it get embedded in otherwise undisturbed Mars regolith, instead of an impact crater?

ChatGPT thinks it would vapourize on impact and leave a 50cm crater in loose regolith. I wouldn't put much stock in an AI answer except in an orders-of-magnitude sense of ruling out a re-entry object from orbit.

 

[Baluncore]

If it came from the satellite, is there no re-entry burn in Mars?

By definition, if you never left Mars earlier, re-entry would be impossible.

Oxidation is reduced in a 95% CO₂ atmosphere. The CO₂ needs to be atomised before the oxygen can be available.

It is possible that the object is a short tube, remaining after other parts have been ablated from a craft during the fall. It seems to be partly buried in Martian loess. That would suggest it has been through a dust-storm, which might date it. There are no wheel tracks next to it, so it is unlikely to have been a part of the rover.

What are the chances of finding something like that near the rover landing place? If it was part of the drogue parachute system, then it could survive atmospheric entry, and be found close to the lander.

If it is from a different mission, and one has been found so soon, then one might expect there to be many similar things scattered about the surface of Mars.

 

[DaveC426913]

Hey NASA! Been four years. You ever gonna weigh in on this??

 

[Baluncore]

There is low-velocity deployment activity, at 9km, 7km, and 2km above the surface, during the landing. One of those procedures might have produced the object.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_2020#Entry,_descent,_and_landing_(EDL)