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Curiosity Tests a New Drill Method on Mars
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Caption:
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used a new drill method to produce a hole on Feb. 26, 2018, in a target named Lake Orcadie. The hole marks the first operation of the rover's drill since a motor problem began acting up more than a year ago.
An early test produced a hole about a half-inch (1-centimeter) deep at Lake Orcadie --- not enough for a full scientific sample, but enough to validate that the new method works mechanically. This was just the first in what will be a series of tests to determine how well the new drill method can collect samples.
A video is available here .
Background Info:
Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates the Mastcam. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover.
More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ .
Cataloging Keywords:
| Name | Value | Additional Values |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Mars | |
| System | ||
| Target Type | Planet | |
| Mission | Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) | |
| Instrument Host | Curiosity Rover | |
| Host Type | Rover | |
| Instrument | Mast Camera (MastCam) | |
| Detector | ||
| Extra Keywords | Color | |
| Acquisition Date | ||
| Release Date | 2018-02-28 | |
| Date in Caption | 2018-02-26 | |
| Image Credit | NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS | |
| Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22224 | |
| Identifier | PIA22224 | |
