PIA06780: Pebble Jammed in Rock Abrasion Tool


Pebble Jammed in Rock Abrasion Tool

Caption:

After the rock abrasion tool on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity stopped working on sol 199 (Aug. 15, 2004), rover operators used the panoramic camera to take this image the next day for help in diagnosing the problem. The tool was closer than the camera could focus on sharply, but the image does show a dark spot just left of center, which engineers have determined is likely to be a pebble jammed between the cutting-blade rotor and the wire-brush rotor. If that diagnosis is confirmed by further analysis, the tool will likely be commanded to turn the rotors in reverse to release the pebble.

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Mars
System
Target Type Planet
Mission Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Instrument Host Opportunity (MER-B)
Host Type Rover
Instrument Panoramic Camera (Pancam)
Detector
Extra Keywords Atmosphere, Grayscale, Storm
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2004-08-19
Date in Caption 2004-08-15
Image Credit NASA/JPL/Cornell
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA06780
Identifier PIA06780