Sections
Log in
Top News
U.S. News World News Featured Voices
Odd News
Entertainment
Movies Music TV
Sports
Soccer NFL NBA MLB NHL Golf Horse Racing Tennis Col. Football Col. Basketball
Photos
News Entertainment Sports Features Archives
More...
Defense Featured Science Health Archive Almanac
About Feedback
About Feedback
Search
Trending
Deputy AG
Venezuela
Climate change
Meth bust
Michael Cohen
Vladimir Putin
Moon lander
Champions League
SeaWorld rescue
Montana
Allison Janney
Science News
May 24, 2018 / 10:18 AM

Curiosity drills Mars rock sample for first time in two years

"We've been developing this new drilling technique for over a year, but our job isn't done once a sample has been collected on Mars," said NASA engineer Tom Green.

By
Brooks Hays
A close-up photo shows the 2-inch-deep hole made with Curiosity's newly effective drill. Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

May 24 (UPI) -- After a two-year stint on the disabled list, Curiosity's drill is working again. This week, the Mars rover successfully collected a rock sample for the first time in almost two years.

Over the last year, engineers at NASA have developed a workaround drilling technique called Feed Extended Drilling, or FED, which uses the rover's robotic arm to direct and push the drill into the ground as the drill bit spins. And last week, Curiosity engineers added percussion, or a hammering rhythm, to the FED technique.

The fix worked. Over the weekend, Curiosity drilled two inches into the Martian surface and collected a powder sample from the pulverized rock.

"The team used tremendous ingenuity to devise a new drilling technique and implement it on another planet," Steve Lee, deputy project manager for the Curiosity mission, said in a news release. "Those are two vital inches of innovation from 60 million miles away. We're thrilled that the result was so successful."

RELATED NASA engineers teach Mars rover Curiosity to drill again

Collecting and analyzing rock samples is the crux of Curiosity's mission, so the latest success was a major relief for the team's scientists.

"We've been developing this new drilling technique for over a year, but our job isn't done once a sample has been collected on Mars," said Tom Green, a systems engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "With each new test, we closely examine the data to look for improvements we can make and then head back to our test bed to iterate on the process."

The next step is delivering the sample to Curiosity's two internal laboratories. Mission engineers are working on a new process and hope to test it on Friday.

RELATED ULA rocket launches NASA's Mars lander

RELATED Trace Gas Orbiter reaches stable Mars orbit, ready to start science mission
  • Topics
  • Steve Lee
  • Tom Green
  • Mars rover
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more UPI news and photos.

Trending Stories

SpaceIL teams with SpaceX for first first private moon lander mission
Climate change: Winters of future will be colder -- and also warmer
Stonehenge's bluestones traced to 5,000-year-old Welsh quarries
Stress explains the unique shape of Rosetta's Comet 67P
New radio sky survey reveals 300,000 new galaxies

Photo Gallery

 
Palestinians celebrate Valentine's Day

Latest News

Teens view anxiety, depression as biggest problems in lives, study says
Iowa woman sentenced to life in prison for son's diaper rash death
UPI's Kevin Dietsch wins first place for Olympics photo
Scientists find tanner crabs feeding on seafloor methane vent
Food allergy linked to certain form of eczema, study says
 
Back to Article
/
Back to top
About UPI Contact Feedback Advertisements Submit News Tips
Copyright © 2019 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of UsePrivacy Policy