The more I look at it, the more I start to wonder if it's only a mark left when one of the rover's tools pressed down, like the rock abrasion tool. What do y'all think? Joe --- On Mon, 12/1/08, Joe Bauman <josephmbauman@yahoo.com> wrote: From: Joe Bauman <josephmbauman@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Martian Carpenters -- NO, BUT ... To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Monday, December 1, 2008, 7:56 PM OK, the "Martian carpenters" idea is just silly. The alleged beam is nothing but a rock slab on end, probably blasted out when the crater was formed. BUT: Take a look at the latest microscopic imagers views to be posted from Opportunity, that is, from Sol 1645. There is a tendril connected to a tuber feature -- like a potato on a root. It really looks like something formed by living processes. The images are at: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/opportunity_m1645.html Best wishes, Joe