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NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS
In an activity called the "mini drill test," NASA's Mars rover Curiosity used its drill to generate this ring of powdered rock on Wednesday for inspection in advance of the rover's first full drilling.
By Tariq Malik
Space.com
NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has drilled into the Red Planet for the first time in a major test of the 1-ton robot's ability to dig into the Martian surface and collect samples.
The Curiosity rover used the drill at the tip of its robotic arm to excavate a small hole 0.8 inches (2 centimeters) deep into a Martian rock called "John Klein," mission scientists announced Thursday. The so-called "mini-drill test" marked the first time Curiosity used both the hammer and rotating action of its Mars drill.
The rover pulverized the rock at its drill site, creating what appeared to be fine particles that could be used in sample-collection tests. Photos of Curiosity's first drill site on Mars revealed a small, perfectly round hole surrounded by the drill cuttings.
"If the drill cuttings on the ground around the fresh hole pass visual evaluation as suitable for processing by the rover's sample-handling mechanisms, the rover team plans to proceed with commanding the first full drilling in coming days," mission managers said in a statement. [Curiosity Rover's Amazing Mars Photos]
Curiosity's science team received confirmation of the drill test on Wednesday at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., which is home to the rover's mission control center. An earlier test performed over the past weekend used only the hammering, percussive action of Curiosity's drill.
NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS
After the drill test by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity, the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) camera recorded this close-up view of the results during the 180th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars.
Mission scientists picked the John Klein rock for Curiosity's drilling tests because it appeared to hold clues into the region's watery past.
"Pre-drilling observations of this rock yielded indications of one or more episodes of wet environmental conditions," mission managers explained. "The team plans to use Curiosity's laboratory instruments to analyze sample powder from inside the rock to learn more about the site's environmental history."
Curiosity's drill is one of 10 science instruments designed to photograph and analyze the surface of Mars like never before. The car-size rover landed in the vast Gale Crater on Mars on Aug. 5 to begin a two-year prime mission that aims to determine if the region could have ever supported primitive microbial life.
Since landing, Curiosity has already discovered evidence that the area once contained a flowing stream of water in the ancient past.
The $2.5 billion Mars rover Curiosity is currently making its way toward a destination called Glenelg near the base of Mount Sharp, a 3-mile (5 kilometers) peak that rises from the center of Gale Crater. Mission scientists ultimately plan to send Curiosity up the Martian mountain in order to better study the geology of the huge crater.
You can follow Space.com Managing Editor Tariq Malik on Twitter @tariqjmalik. Follow Space.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+.
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Leave a Comment:
Drill baby drill!
Couldn't agree with you more, Michael. This truly is an exciting time in space exploration.
Yes, and what will really be exciting is when we build launch capability from space so that we can do manned exploration of Mars and beyond.
Hiya Michael,
Can you tell me, the article makes it sound like Curiosity drilled this hole and let the drillings just sit around on the surface for an extended period of time. Do you know how long the "visual" portion of the process takes? Do they take into account weather and wind conditions on Mars when they do this stuff? Or am I reading all this wrong and they decide right away whether or not to gather up the dust and study it onboard?
I think they're likely more interested in the geological makeup of the cuttings, which wont really be disturbed if they are at the surface for a bit.
Having drilled many wells into bedrock during my career, the cuttings are interesting. They look like siltstone or sandstone cuttings. The presence of silt and/or sand would obviously back up the present theory that Mars had running water on the surface for millions of years.
Look, Mom, I made a hole in the sandbox!
Mars gets its first piercing.
Mars is screwed now.
you have to believe
it's a question of faith -is an atheist the only one
then theres pan also me and the lost boys and jack sparrow-i couldn't make tihis up-i'm a prirate
Did NASA get their 15 year environmental impact study done first? Did they pay off Obama and his criminal EPA? Inquiring minds want to know! :-)
Rocks. There's nothing there but rocks. Give it up.
But we need to find out whether the rocks are friendly before sending a manned mission.
Oh there's more than rocks. Stay tuned......
Yeah, let it find gold, platinum, or diamonds and the race will be on.
There will be worms...
(Sorry Skip - couldn't wait for you to pipe in any longer)
There may be nothing but rocks.. But that would be a good scientific finding in and of itself. Afterall, there are plenty of geologists on this planet. Would you argue that they are all wasting their time??
Yes, there are rocks. LOTS of rocks. And what comes from rocks? Metal ores, gemstones, you know, raw materials. The stuff we use to build bigger and better stuff (like washing machines, computers, wedding rings, ATM's and rovers we send to other planets looking for things).
Oh, and maybe a few worms too...
That settles it. Curiosity drilled a hole and is therefore male. I now have a serious mancrush for him and I'm not ashamed to say so. :)
Isn't it interesting that the photos of the surface of Mars coming out of NASA seem to be getting less and less "copperish"
How far has this thing traveled so far?
Yes, Atheist, but perhaps Curiosity will also absorb and incubate some samples within, becoming something of a female too.
If you want a pet on Mars ... send a dog, or maybe perhaps, finally, a few humans — to run rings around the rover!
Hope this hole does not let all the air out! =/
`
Too late, most of the "air" is already gone.