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 A portion of the tread pattern on the wheels
of NASA/JPL's
Curiosity Mars rover consists of a series square and rectangular
holes that serve as "visual odometry marks." They are arranged in an asymmetric
pattern on the rover that will leave an imprint on the surface of Mars so the onboard
cameras can look at them to determine whether the craft is actually traversing the
distance it is being commanded to move. Less distance between sets of marks are
an indication that slippage is occurring. If that happens and Curiosity cannot correct
itself, it will stop and make a call back home to JPL and await further instructions.
The round-trip call can take anywhere from about 6 minutes to more than 44 minutes
depending on the two planet's orbital positions, not including the time needed to
formulate a reply.
NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover
Look more closely at those visual odometry marks, however, and you will notice
those holes are squares and rectangles that make up dots and dashes, respectively,
for Morse
code. The succession of three rows spells out •--- •--• •-••
(JPL). Clever, non? Just as aliens live among us largely undetected, so too do amateur
radio operators. Occasionally a breadcrumb is left behind that the keen observer
will recognize. Agent K knows
a refugee from the planet Zorg when he spies one mingling with Earth's population.
Likewise, Hams immediately recognize Morse code when they see or hear it - sometimes
even when it is not really code at all. It is surprising that the narrator of the
video does not mention the coded impressions.
Unlike on the moon, wheel-prints made by Mars rovers will not last forever because
Mars has an active atmosphere like the earth. Erosive winds will soon wipe away
all evidence of its path. Future visitors to Mars, be they from Earth or from the
planet Zorg, will find no trace of our rovers. With the passage of time, wind-blown
sands will cover not just the tracks on the surface, but the machines themselves.
As of this date, May 5, 2023,
Curiosity has been on the planet Mars for 3,819 sols (3,924 total days) since
landing on August 6, 2012. It's like the
Energizer Bunny.
Not long ago I posted a picture of Morse Code appearing on a sidewalk
bench
in New Zealand. Have you spotted any other instances of Hams overtly making their
presence known?
Posted May 8, 2023
(updated from original post
on 8/16/2012)
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