NASA's mars rover curiosity completes drill on rock checkout

NASA’s mars rover curiosity completes drill-on-rock checkoutimage © NASA

since successfully landing on the ‘red planet’, NASA’s rover curiosity has been conducting a variety of experiments and procedures to help determine whether mars could ever have supported life. in the latestof activity, a series of tests to prepare for the first drilling in history to collect a sample of rock material on mars were successfully completed. by tapping into martian rock, scientists may determine whether water was ever present on the martian planet. the samples hope to contain the ‘ingredients for life’, revealing what types of environmental conditions could have supported microbial life.

rotary-percussion drill left in target patch of rockimage © NASA

‘john klein’ site selected for curiosity’s drill debutimage © NASA

drill bit tip on mars rover curiosity, side viewimage © NASA

drill bit tip on mars rover curiosity, head-on viewimage © NASA

diversity in vicinity of curiosity’s first drilling targetimage © NASA

yellowknife bay veins and concretionsimage © NASA