14 DAY TRIAL // An old picture taken by the Opportunity rover that has been roaming around on Mars for several years now has recently been the target of much speculation and fueled more conspiracy theories (as if there was not enough of that already). The highly controversial item in the photograph appears to be a plank of wood resting on the red planet's surface. But experts state that it's not wood, although they wish it was.
More or less science-oriented websites caught a bit of fire recently upon the rediscovery of a four and a half year old picture depicting what seems to be a wooden log on the surface of Mars. This determined a Universe Today editor to further investigate the case. While discussing the matter with Dr. Jim Bell from Cornell University, the lead scientist for the two Martian rovers' Panoramic cameras, the final verdict was harsh: no wood, just rock.
"My first reaction," shared the scientist, "is that it's delightful that there is such public interest in images from Mars". But "What you're seeing is a piece of flat, platy, layered sulfur-rich outcrop rock like we've seen almost everywhere the Opportunity rover has been in Meridiani Planum," he continued. "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," he explained. "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." When asked whether there was any chance that it was still wood, he replied, "No, sadly. 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".
NASA (and other) experts have studied the pictures in question and ruled out this possibility, while also subjecting them to public view. It's just an example of pareidolia, but if it had been proven to be a log, most definitely they would have been searching for trees on Mars right now, so these arguments are enough to quench the thirst for conspiracies.