Every prison term the Curiosity Rover drills into Mars , it creates a beautiful dime - sized yap and a pile of pulverized stone just waiting for analysis . Here ’s why these practice session holes are so crucial — and all the technology that wee them happen .
The practice on the Mars Curiosity rover use asa hammer and chisel . The mallet has six levels of intensity from gentle tap to vigorous rush , all at 30 times per irregular . The recitation produces gob that are slimly minor than an American dime bag : 1.6 centimeters ( 0.63 inch ) in diam and 6.4 cm ( 2.5 column inch ) recondite .
Curiosity ’s notorious drillbit violent disorder all over Mars , punch holes into the red planet . trope credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / LANL / CNES / IRAP / LPGNantes / CNRS
Drilling rocks on Earth during development and life-time test ofthe drillbitin 2007 . mental image credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech
The eight primary holes drilled into Mars have certain similarities — almost all of them are preceded by a shallow test - hole , they deal hole geometry of diameter and depth , and they ’re all besiege by a pile of rock dust . This dust — the hole shadowing — isn’t waste material . Instead , the powdered rock offers insight into the chemic composition of the subsurface by give up Curiosity to scoop up a sample for unmediated testing .
A connection screen across the funnel shape into the CheMin filters out any samples greater than 1 millimeter across . icon course credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
Flutes on the drillbit force powdered rock’n’roll out of the hole so it can be fertilise into theSample Analysis at Mars(SAM ) entourage for chemical psychoanalysis . The instrument software program includes a gas chromatograph , a mass spectrometer , and a laser spectrometer . They exploit in conjunction with the Chemistry and Camera ( ChemCam ) instrument and the Chemistry and Mineralogy instrument ( CheMin ) that can perform mineral analysis from a keen aloofness .
The turret of Curiosity ’s robotic limb holds five tools : the percussive drill ( leftover ) , a junk - remove brush ( closest to camera ) , a script lens tv camera ( right ) , an ten - beam of light spectrometer ( not seeable ) and the soil scoop and sieve ( heart ) . double credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
But even without fancy analytical equipment , even just looking at the tailings is enough to get a signified of the variety of rocks present on Mars .
reject fragments too big for analysis . mental image reference : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
Most times the tailings are shades of grey , sometimes tinging towards green or even a blade blue , while very rarely they share the same rusty Marxist of surficial debris . The shadowing can be all right grains of spilled gunpowder , or sometimes mold almost corpse - like clumps .
John Klein on Sol 176 photographed from approximately 10 centimeters ( 4 inches ) forth , cover a field of view 7.7 centimeter ( 3 inches ) wide . Image credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
On February 2 , 2013 , the Curiosity roamer used only the percussive hammering natural action of the drill without orbitual twisting on clod of monotonic mudstone cite John Klein . The practice session on rock candy checkout test pack place on Sol 176 , the 176th Martian work day for the Curiosity bird of passage . Its intent was to test out how the drill functioned on just careen . The grey divot reach out 1.7 centimeter ( 0.66 inches ) widely : everything looked cracking .
The rock was key inmemory of a Mars Science Laboratory deputy project managerwho died in 2011 .
John Klein on Sol 180 . range credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
After a bit of fussing , the exercise functionality test continued on Sol 180 ( February 6 , 2013 . The mini Mandrillus leucophaeus test used both percussive and orbitual military action tocreate a very shallow hole is just 2 centimeters ( 0.8 inches ) deepsurrounded by a anchor ring of tilt pulverisation This exam allow researchers to characterise the drill tailings — the rock powder generated as waste from the boring process — and determine if the shadowing were suitably dry powder appropriate to run into the sampling rooms . Again , everything look fantastic .
First sampling hole to the left of a mini practice session test divot at John Klein on Sol 182 . The exam hole is 2 cm deep ; the full drillhole is 6.4 centimetre cryptic . Image credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The very first meter Curiosity used its practice session for genuine , literal science was to drill a full sampling yap on Sol 182 ( February 8 , 2013 ) into a flat rock named John Klein . John Klein is part of the Sheepbed mudstone , an outcrop in the Yellowknife Bay area of Gale Crater . research worker think Sheepbed is part of an ancient lake from the Noachian Era of Martian history . The rock theoretically formed in a wet surroundings characterized by neutral pH and low-toned salt . They think the environs would have varying oxidation and reducing of iron- and sulfur - contain mineral , at times rusty red ( oxidized ) or greenish - gray ( reduced ) .
The first drill tailings call for on Mars on Sol 193 . For scale , the scoop is 4.5 centimeter ( 1.8 inches ) wide . Red residual is from the Rocknest soil sample distribution of windblown detritus and guts . icon credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The most immediately noticeable feature reflects that variability : the interior of the hole and the extracted stone pulverisation are a dark-green - grey in stark contrast to the hoary crimson surrounding surface .
Rock tailings , sieved sampling , and discarded gravid fragments on Sol 229 . Image credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The rock and roll tailings are processed and render to the analytical cortege by the Collection and Handling for In - situ Martian Rock Analysis ( CHIMRA ) instrument , which strain the sample to take away corpuscle larger than 0.015 centimeters . The instruments require only a tiny full intensity of rock for analysis : John Klein only delivered a intensity equivalent to half of an aspirin lozenge .
The C - shaped wind safeguard protect the opening of CHIMRA ’s manner of speaking tube as the river delivered powdered rock candy samples to the depth psychology suite on Sol 195 . Image credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The analysis substantiate the initialnear - intuitiveanswer to this miniskirt - mystery of unlike colours : the rock candy check Fe mineral which oxidise in the control surface and are not yet oxidize underground . This is exciting in part because less oxidized samples are more likely to preserve any organic compounds if they were present in the first place .
Now the rock pulverization is let out to the tenuous Martian atmosphere , the iron will slow rust to loss over meter .
John Klein on Sol 270 with ChemCam laser - Nathan Birnbaum . figure reference : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
peek into the hole , the interior of the rock music is made of very even , fine grains of clay in flat layers , all slew by an irregular internet of sulphate - filled hairline faulting . The suspiciously - vertical pit are burn marks from theChemistry and Camera ( ChemCam ) legal document elicit lasersinto the hole to set chemical substance composition .
Ten optical maser - zap point from the ChemCam at John Klein on Sol 183 . picture credit entry : NASA / JPL - Caltech / LANL / IRAP / CNES / LPGNantes / IAS / C
The ChemCam also performed a series of try out zap into the exercise tailing on Sol 183 . These zaps provided spectra which researcher interpreted to determine makeup of the rock powder extract from the drillhole .
Rover - selfieat John Klein . Image deferred payment : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
Cumberland on Sol 279 . Image mention : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
To confirm answer from John Klein , Curiosity drifted to the nearby Cumberland rock . Just 2.75 m ( 9 feet ) away from the first practice session target , the two rocks have a exchangeable appearance so researchers trust would produce a alike analytic result .
Cumberland before and after drilling on Sols 275 and 279 . Image credit rating : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The Curiosity rover create a before and after photo - dyad for its drilling dangerous undertaking at Cumberland Rock . The first image was taken on Sol 275 ( May 15 , 2013 ) before any preparations take property ; the second look-alike is from Sol 279 ( May 19 , 2013 ) , short after drilling .
When selecting practice targets , researchers train the rover ’s drill aside from any nasty pebble . First the rover sets down its two stabilise prongs , then the researchers check and substantiate that it ’s correct up in the veracious plaza .
Pre - drilling frame-up at Cumberland on Sol 279 . Image credit rating : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
In a quickly - establish pattern , the ChemCam zapped its laser into the grey shadowing to check the rock’n’roll ’s theme .
Cumberland drillhole with ChemCam laser pit on Sol 281 . Image mention : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The Cumberland careen samples containeda gamy ratio of chlorobenzenethan John Klein or Confidence Hills ( or the Rocknest soil aim ) . This might be because organic chemicals reacted with perchlorates during heating of the sample distribution for analysis , leaving the start chemicals undetermined .
Windjana on Sol 615 . epitome deferred payment : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The Curiosity rover made a mini recitation hole on Sol 615 ( April 29 , 2014 ) to evaluate a clod of sandstone named Windjana . The shallow maw gave the team a peek into the interior of the aim rock and the potential shadowing to determine if they ’re suited for a full - depth drillhole .
Windjana on Sol 262 . range of a function acknowledgment : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
Curiosity exercise a pickle into the Windjana sandstone on Sol 621 ( May 5 , 2014 ) .
Rover - selfiemosaic assembled from frames taken on Sol 613 and Sol 627 . persona credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The Windjana sandstone is within The Kimberley , a curing of sandstone layers with varying electric resistance to weathering . It ’s the intermediate unite between areas more sharply eat away by the wind into either butte on one side or lower - laying rocks grade with striations on the other .
Windjana at nighttime on Sol 628 , enlighten by light - emitting diodes to reduce shadows . prototype quotation : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The gob was also photograph at night , lit up by visible light - emitting rectifying valve on the rover . This controlled lighting lose weight the shadows of sunshine , allowing for a more controlled look into the golf hole .
Full - depth hole and partially - infilled shallow mental test kettle of fish at Windjana on Sol 609 . To the right of the drillholes are smaller less - red patches Stephen ( high ) and Neil ( low ) where ChemCam optical maser - zapped the aerofoil . look-alike credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech
The careen is named for the Windjana Gorge in Western Australia .
Unloading the remains of the Windjana sample textile . epitome credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS / Emily Lakdawalla
Bonanza King on Sol 724 . epitome credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech
Bonanza King is a rock along the boundary ofMount Sharp . The Curiosity wanderer test out if Bonanza King would make a good place to drill on Sol 724 ( August 19 , 2014 ) , trying to get a first taste of the Murray formation .
Under a surface finishing of rust red junk , the rock is actually a greenish - Lady Jane Grey . The light - coloured mineral vein crossing the rock are likely infilled with sulfate salts or other precipitate minerals . These feature are similar to the vein observed in mudstones in Yellowknife Bay .
Bonanza King dot blank in preparation of the mini practice session mental test . Image credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The rock music shift while getting tapped by the hammer to create a starter - hole during the mini exercise test . This imbalance triggered a software system protective act , halt the process . The humans checking the results afterwards agreed , mark the rock as too unstable for a full - profundity sample distribution - collection Mandrillus leucophaeus .
oil production vibration result in sand piling up on the sway and clarification off of rock veins . Image credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
self-assurance Hills on Sol 756 . Image credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The Curiosity rover made its second effort at getting a first appreciation of the Mount Sharp rocks by slip up to a decent band of flat rock make Confidence Hills . The initial sample drill was delightfully unchanging , producing a tidy spate of shadowing that were n’t oxidize flushed for once .
Confidence Hills in Pahrump Hills on Sol 759 . Image mention : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The scouter drill into Confidence Hills on September 24 , 2014 , its 759th Martian working day . self-assurance Hills is the the first target within the Pahrump Hills outcrop , the fair game of the rover ’s extended mission .
A sampling of pulverized rock extracted from the tailing at Confidence Hills . Image deferred payment : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The Pahrump Hills are the bottom ( or basal ) level of Mount Sharp , so by the Principle of Superposition ( aka , “ Old things are on the bottom and young unity are on the top . ” ) , it ’s also the oldest layer . The research team picked this formation as a drilling target area to test the hypothesis that the enormous mountain bulge as sediments deposited in lake that infilled and dry out over geologic timescales .
trust Hills on Sol 759 . Image quotation : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The Chemistry and Mineralogy ( CheMin ) official document gather the rock shadowing to make an X - ray diffraction pattern that allow for researchers to determine the chemical composition of the sampling . The proportion between the iron oxide minerals magnetite and hematite provide insight into the ancient formation environment of the rock . The high proportion of haematite at Confidence Hills compared to Cumberland indicates that the Confidence Hills rock formed under more oxidizing condition .
XTC - light beam diffraction patterns from analyze stone at the Cumberland and Confidence Hills locations . Image credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech
The discovery of haematite in Confidence Hills also markedthe first time that the Curiosity scouter ground - truthed a mineral antecedently only identified by outback sensing from sphere .
Confidence Hills on Sols 755 , 756 , and 759 . Image quotation : NASA/ JPL - Caltech / MSSS / Chris Simundson
Mojave on Sol 867 . icon course credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The Mojave rocks are within the Pink Cliffs dowry of the Pahrump Hills at the base of Mount Sharp . This peculiar location was pick for practice due to an teemingness of tiny , slender features that resemble grains of Timothy Miles Bindon Rice . The enquiry team wanted to lie with if these were evaporate crystals like salt , forge as a briny lake evaporated .
The squad made a shallow hole by performing a mini Mandrillus leucophaeus mental test at the Mojave rock to determine if it was worth drilling a full hole . Drilled on Sol 867 ( January 13 , 2015 ) , even this shallow hole crack the rock’n’roll and dislodged pieces . While not particularly good for drilling , the refreshed exposure are a rarified chance to take care at intact , unoxidized surfaces .
Mojave 2 in the Pahrump Hills on Sol . Image credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
After the initial drilling fix broke during a mini exercise test , the inquiry team peck a nearby placement with the same oddly - shape quartz glass : Mojave 2 . The rover drilled the full - depth hole on Sol 884 ( January 31 , 2015 ) .
It was the first hole drilled with a unexampled depleted - percussion technique , reduce how much energy is pounded into the rock . It was developed specifically to deal with the fragile , finely - layer rock along the base of Mount Sharp . The new algorithm pound the drill maw to full deepness in just ten minutes while sticking to the lowest two stratum of intensiveness .
glance into the drillhole at Mojave 2 . Image acknowledgment : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The second drillhole from Mount Sharp turned up rock that was more acidic than the first gustatory perception of the mountain , expose layer rocks vary by long - gone water . The pulverized rock contains jarosite , an oxidise mineral with iron and sulfur ; it forms in acidic surround but it is n’t instantly obvious if that reflects a weak establishment environment , or an influx of water soaking the rock candy sometime later .
Telegraph Peak in the Pahrump Hills on Sol 908 . Image credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The wanderer exercise into the basal layer of Mount Sharp at Telegraph Peak on February 24 , 2015 , its 908th Martian working day . Telegraph Peak is the the third mark within the Pahrump Hills outcrop , and the first full - astuteness drillhole created withouta preliminary shallow mini exercise test .
dump the excess Telegraph Peak sampling material on Sol 952 . range credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
While just about everywhere in Pahrump Hills have relatively gamey level of atomic number 14 compared to aluminum and magnesium , the Telegraph Peak rock has an even more disproportionate bias to silicon . This could be declarative of some amount of acidulent leaching of the rock .
Telegraph Peak on Sol 908 . NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
Buckskin on Sol 1059 . simulacrum credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The Buckskin rock in the Lion rock outcrop is an queerly high - silicon dioxide locating , so of course of study Curiosity had to give it a gentle poke to see if it ’d be a good drilling location . The mini drill trial on Sol 1059 was adorable , so the wanderer was respectable to go for a full - depth cryptical hole the next day .
Buckskin on Sol 1060 . Image quotation : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
When the Curiosity bird of passage detected unusually high degree of silica and hydrogen , the rover drilled a hole into Buckskin on Sol 1060 ( July 30 , 2015 ) . The tilt is in the Lion outcrop near Marias Pass , on the lower side of Mount Sharp .
Rover - selfieat the Buckskin rock in Marias Pass compiled from frame taken on Sol 1065 . For scale , the rover ’s wheels are 50 centimeters diam and the drillhole is 1.6 centimeters in diameter . The bird of passage is face nor'-east on a 6 - meter James Jerome Hill , with Mount Sharp behind the rover and the northerly rim of Gale Crater in the far background . mental image credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The two patches of drill tailings are from the drillhole ( farther from the roamer ) , and where the rover dumped coarser sampling fragments that did not fit through the sieve during analysis ( closer to the roamer ) . The tailings spilled downhill during drilling , creating a triangular pile .
Dumping excess sampling material on Sol 1064 . epitome credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
The rover practise the hole and took the sample soon before its landing anniversary;it did not have any short - circuited faultslike it had intermittently in the beginning in 2015 .
Blue Sky on Sol 1119 . Image credit : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
Curiosity most recently line up in front of a large , vapid rocked called Blue Sky . The science team is hoping that this will bea nice , normal rock , a point of equivalence for all the interesting and unpaired alteration they ’ve been finding nearby .
Big Sky on Sol 1119 . Image credit rating : NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS
After setting up in front ofa large , flat rock and brushing it clean , Curiosity smashed the most recent hole into major planet on September 30 , 2015 . What will we learn from Big Sky ? I have no idea , but it ’s bound to be at least a little bit dissimilar than everywhere else we ’ve looked .
get in touch with the author at[email protected]or follow her at@MikaMcKinnon .
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