[meteorite-list] Curiosity Preparing for Second Scoop

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:11:24 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <201210122011.q9CKBOgn000476_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-321

Curiosity Preparing for Second Scoop
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
October 12, 2012

On Sol 65 (Oct. 11, 2012) of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, NASA's
Mars rover Curiosity completed several activities in preparation for
collecting its second scoop of soil. Like the first scoop, the next will
come from a ripple of sand and dust at "Rocknest," and will be used for
cleaning interior surfaces of the sample-handling chambers on the arm.

The Collection and Handling for In-Situ Martian Rock Analysis (CHIMRA)
tool on the end of arm shook out remnants of the first scoopful and
posed for camera inspection to verify it was emptied. The Mars Hand Lens
Imager (MAHLI) moved close some loose material on the ground to get a
good look. Seeing more detail in the object will help engineers finish
assessing whether this loose material from the spacecraft poses any
concern for future operations. A raw image from that MAHLI activity is
at http://1.usa.gov/Qgs5ha .

Sol 65, in Mars local mean solar time at Gale Crater, will end at 2:22
a.m. Oct. 12, PDT (5:22 a.m., EDT).

Guy Webster 818-354-6278
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
guy.webster at jpl.nasa.gov

2012-321
Received on Fri 12 Oct 2012 04:11:24 PM PDT