Spirit drills hole in Mars rock
Posted: Mon, Feb 9, 2004, 11:32 AM ET (1632 GMT)
The NASA Mars rover Spirit drilled the first "planned" hole in a Martian rock over the weekend as it and its twin rover continued their scientific investigation of the planet. Spirit's Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT), drilled a hole 4.5 centimeters across and 0.27 centimeters deep over the course of three hours on Saturday. The drilling exposed fresh portions of the rock under the surface that were studied by the rover's instruments on Sunday. Spirit had planned to back away from the rover late Sunday, but a software flag enabled after the rover experienced its computer problems last month kept the rover from moving. The flag has been unset and the rover will begin its trek Monday towards a crater dubbed Bonneville. On the other side of the planet, the twin rover Opportunity has been studying an outcrop of rocks on the side of the crater the rover landed in. Scientists plan to move the rover along the lower edge of the outcrop for the next several days.
The NASA Mars rover Spirit drilled the first "planned" hole in a Martian rock over the weekend as it and its twin rover continued their scientific investigation of the planet. Spirit's Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT), drilled a hole 4.5 centimeters across and 0.27 centimeters deep over the course of three hours on Saturday. The drilling exposed fresh portions of the rock under the surface that were studied by the rover's instruments on Sunday. Spirit had planned to back away from the rover late Sunday, but a software flag enabled after the rover experienced its computer problems last month kept the rover from moving. The flag has been unset and the rover will begin its trek Monday towards a crater dubbed Bonneville. On the other side of the planet, the twin rover Opportunity has been studying an outcrop of rocks on the side of the crater the rover landed in. Scientists plan to move the rover along the lower edge of the outcrop for the next several days.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, November 8
Israel soars with senior position in the International Astronautical Federation
Ynet — 6:08 am ET (1108 GMT) Virgin Galactic Falls on Lower Revenue, Share Issuance
New York Times — 6:06 am ET (1106 GMT) Anger in Taiwan over reports SpaceX asked suppliers to move abroad
The Guardian — 6:04 am ET (1104 GMT) Space Florida Announces Launch of Florida University Space Research Consortium
Univ. of Central Florida — 6:04 am ET (1104 GMT) Private space exploration may be about to get a serious boost
Semafor — 6:01 am ET (1101 GMT) |
