Photographic detection of the Martian Stone Age items
ABSTRACT
Martian objects have
been measured utilizing geometry recovery software, and their physical models
were built.
Being Stone Age
tools is the most likely interpretation of these objects.
Issues of remote
sensing and photometry have come up in a dramatic way in the Martian
exploration. The available Martian imagery apparently has stone tools pictured.
Has been the life on Mars [3,4] as advanced as to produce a civilization?
A Sol 14 PANCAM
object 2P127604438EFF0309P2543L3M1/R3M1 [1], with apparent “square” hole, has
attracted attention right away. The average object distance from the camera is
2.1 m. Here are the red-cyan anaglyph and a stereo pair.
Figure 1. Anaglyph of the axe
Map of the object
based on its left side, have been recovered by the MARSOMETRY program [4].
Figure 3. Position map, based on the left side of stone axe. Each point adornment
has: point number on the left, left eye pixel position on the right, relative
position in millimeters at the bottom, and height at the top.
A half-size model of
the object has been built, reflecting the measurements and images.
Figure 4. Model of the axe
The object appears
to be a stone axe of 140x120x100 mm, with almost square hole for the handle of
about 20x30 mm.
The lower part of
its edge has been damaged, apparently by chopping too hard on plants or stones.
A second example is
Sol 165 Spirit PANCAM object 2P141007949EFF6938P2377L7M1/R1M1. The average
object distance from the camera is 2.1 m. Here is a red-cyan anaglyph of the
object.
Figure 5. Anaglyph of the digging tool
A map, based on the
plane of the triangle - has been recovered by MARSOMETRY program [4].
Figure 6. Altitude map of the digging tool
A full-size model of
the object has been built, reflecting the measurements and images.
Figure 7. Model of the digging tool
The object appears
to be a digging tool with almost equilateral shape of its blade, 85 mm side,
and with 30x50x210 mm handle. It apparently was not properly cleaned and
stored.
Precision of
recovered geometry is critical for the credibility of modeling and
interpretation. The MARSOMETRY produces distribution of possible point position
errors, resulting from granularity and resolution of the processed pixel image
[5]. Method used to produce these is digital experiments, with picture
measurement error assumed to be 0.5 of the pixel size.
Figure 8. Probability distributions of the position errors, having same average position error 1.5 mm; max error is 4 mm for the axe, 4.5 mm for the digging tool.
The error
distributions are practically the same due to same distance to and similar size
of the objects.
The precision is
sufficient for the purpose of modeling.
Yet greater
analytical challenge is represented by group of the incredible images of
apparent mysterious creature, taken by Spirit around Sol 87. The data
granularity and resolution do not allow in this case for full recovery of the
object’s geometry, since pictures has been taken by NAVCAM from distances 14 m
and above. However, the stereo pair 2N134093154EFF2300P1846L0M1/R0M1 provides
pretty convincing overview, showing figure in a trench, clearly separated from
its environment, while itself being tightly held together.
Figure 9. Anaglyph of the mysterious
figure
The measurements
made using MARSOMETRY, show that this figure is at a distance of 14–15.5 m from
Rover, which translates into diameter 17-19 cm for the 16 pixel head, and the
height 45-50 cm for the 42 pixel visible upper body of the figure. Whether it is
a real Martian or a statue, one can’t opine at this point. It did not move for
2 Sols, enough for that movement to be easily detectible.
What is important in
context of this discussion, the dimensions of figure are consistent with the
dimensions of stone tools that we analyze.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Author is extremely
grateful to the team of Stereo Photo Maker [2], the stereo pictures being
critical for ability to go beyond pure guessing about Martian images.
Deep gratitude goes to NASA for making this work
and much more possible - by taking magnificent pictures of the Mars surface,
and generously providing full public access to them.
REFERENCES
1. NASA image gallery, http://origin.mars5.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all
2. Stereo Photo Maker,
http://stereo.jpn.org/eng/stphmkr
3. Zeltsman, A. (2005) Visual Detection of
life on Mars? Marsbugs, 12(20):2-3
4. Zeltsman, A. (2005) Searching For the
biological objects on Mars. Marsbugs,
18(26):10-11
5. Bell III J. F. et al. (2003) The Mars Exploration Rover Athena
Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Investigation, J. Geophys. Res., Special issue
on the Mars Exploration Rover mission, 73,83