 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 by Phylindia Gant | Mars 2020 Student Collaborator - University of Florida Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 07, 2022
America's favorite red monster may not be interested in rocks, but Perseverance can't wait to keep exploring the rocks on Mars! How does the rover study rocks up-close? The Mars2020 Perseverance rover is equipped with several instruments that help it investigate the surface of Mars. The PIXL and SHERLOC spectrometers both sit on the Robotic Arm. In addition to measuring spectra and taking images of the Martian surface, the Robotic Arm is also equipped with a drill. The drill cuts out samples from the interior of the rock to collect them. It can also collect loose rocky material known as regolith. The Mars2020 team was very excited to return to normal activities at the Issole outcrop, including a drill into a rock target named "Malay." There were a few hiccups along the way. A few pebbles from a previous sampling attempt got stuck in the rover's bit carousel, but the talented team of engineers was able to coordinate a series of "bumps" that shook loose the pebbles and drove the rover 13.5 meters to get to the perfect sampling location. Once there, they had to do some more maneuvers to get the drill arm in the right position. Finally, late on Sunday, Perseverance resumed sampling at the Issole outcrop! A core from "Malay" was collected and the length was 3.075cm, which is a little less than half of the previous core "Robine." The overall goal of this mission and of taking this core is to learn more about the geology and the past climate of Mars, look for past signs of habitability, and search for signs of ancient microbial life. We can tell all of this and more by investigating....rocks! I'm sure if Elmo knew as much about rocks as Perseverance does, he would love them too!
Almost on the rove again Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 01, 2022 We'll soon be on the move again after shaking loose some pesky pebbles that became lodged in Perseverance's bit carousel. How has the science team been making the best use of our extended stay at the Issole parking space, and preparing for our next phase of science investigations? As outlined in our previous blog post, the team made good progress ejecting pebbles that became lodged in the interior of Perseverance's bit carousel, but two more stubborn ones remained on the outside. The rover recentl ... read more
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
