'Foreign object' found by Mars rover a rock flake,NASA
Washington, Aug 17 : A so-called "foreign object debris" spotted by Mars rover Curiosity and speculated to be a piece of spacecraft debris has turned out to be a very thin flake of rock, NASA has said.
The object in the image captured on August 13 also triggered speculation among scientists that the Curiosity rover might have shed a piece of itself.
But an analysis by Curiosity's Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instruments revealed that the object, which was officially referred to as "Pettegrove Point Foreign Object Debris" (PPFOD), only raised a false alarm, NASA said on Thursday.
"In fact it was found to be a very thin flake of rock, so we can all rest easy tonight - Curiosity has not begun to shed its skin," Curiosity team member Brittney Cooper wrote in a mission update of the analysis.
"Perhaps the target should have been given a different name befitting the theme of the current quadrangle in which Curiosity resides: 'Rabhadh Cearr', or 'False Alarm' in Scottish Gaelic," Cooper said.
The Curiosity team had reasons to worry as in 2012, the rover spotted an equally mysterious bright object on the surface that turned out to be a tiny piece of plastic material shed from the rover, CNET reported.
The rover is currently monitoring the dust opacity or "tau" in Gale crater as the global dust storm that started on Mars in June declines.
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AMMK chief files plaint against TVK over 'forged' support letter
Chennai (PTI): The AMMK has lodged a complaint with the Guindy police against the TVK, alleging the use of a "forged" support letter to stake claim for government formation, police said on Saturday.
According to Guindy police, a petition has been received from AMMK General Secretary T T V Dhinakaran.
However, officials said that no First Information Report (FIR) has been registered in the matter as of Saturday morning.
The development followed a high-drama midnight visit by Dhinakaran to the office of the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Guindy Range.
Speaking to reporters, the AMMK chief accused the Vijay-led TVK of submitting a forged photocopy of a letter to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, falsely claiming the support of AMMK’s lone MLA-elect from Mannargudi, S Kamaraj.
"The TVK, which claims to be a 'pure force,' has indulged in forgery and horse-trading," Dhinakaran stated.
He alleged that the party attempted to bypass the anti-defection law by fabricating support. He also revealed that Kamaraj was "shocked" to see the forged document used in his name.
Earlier on Friday, Dhinakaran had formally extended AMMK's support to AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami. Meanwhile, the TVK has dismissed the allegations as "false news," releasing a counter-video purportedly showing MLA Kamaraj signing the support letter voluntarily.
The Guindy police are expected to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the petition before deciding on the registration of an FIR.
