PIA16691: Preparing Samples on Mars


Preparing Samples on Mars

Caption:

This figure shows the location of CHIMRA on the turret of NASA's Curiosity rover, together with a cutaway view of the device. The CHIMRA, short for Collection and Handling for In-situ Martian Rock Analysis, processes samples from the rover's scoop or drill and delivers them to science instruments.

The green highlighted surface shows the location of the 150-micrometer sieve through which samples are passed (a human hair is about 100 micrometers, or microns, thick on average). In addition, the pink line shows the path from the drill to the "portion box" used to deliver the sieved particles to the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) and Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instruments.

Background Info:

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the 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 Collection and Handling for Interior Martian Rock Analysis (CHIMRA)
Detector
Extra Keywords Color
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2013-02-20
Date in Caption
Image Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA16691
Identifier PIA16691