[meteorite-list] Preparatory Drill Test Performed on Mars (MSL)

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2013 12:31:43 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <201302072031.r17KVhiR012283_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-051

Preparatory Drill Test Performed on Mars
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
February 07, 2013

PASADENA, Calif. - The drill on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity used both
percussion and rotation to bore about 0.8 inch (2 centimeters) into a
rock on Mars and generate cuttings for evaluation in advance of the
rover's first sample-collection drilling.

Completion of this "mini drill" test in preparation for full drilling
was confirmed in data from Mars received late Wednesday at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. If the drill cuttings on the
ground around the fresh hole pass visual evaluation as suitable for
processing by the rover's sample handling mechanisms, the rover team
plans to proceed with commanding the first full drilling in coming days.

An image of the hole and surrounding cuttings produced by the mini drill
test is online at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA16760 .

The test was performed on a patch of flat, vein-bearing rock called
"John Klein." The locations of earlier percussion-only testing and
planned sample-collection drilling are also on John Klein. Pre-drilling
observations of this rock yielded indications of one or more episodes of
wet environmental conditions. The team plans to use Curiosity's
laboratory instruments to analyze sample powder from inside the rock to
learn more about the site's environmental history.

The planned full drilling will be the first rock drilling on Mars to
collect a sample of material for analysis.

During a two-year prime mission, researchers are using Curiosity's 10
science instruments to assess whether the study area in Gale Crater on
Mars ever has offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial
life.

More information about Curiosity is online at: http://www.nasa.gov/msl
and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ .

You can follow the mission on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity .

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

2013-051
Received on Thu 07 Feb 2013 03:31:43 PM PST