Spirit rover drills hole into Mars rock

Home>>Sci-Edu

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, February 08, 2004

Spirit rover drills hole into Mars rock

NASA scientists said on Feb. 7 the Spirit rover drilled a tiny hole in a Mars rock, marking the first time a rover has deliberately carved martian rock.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

NASA scientists said on Feb. 7 the Spirit rover drilled a tiny hole in a Mars rock, marking the first time a rover has deliberately carved martian rock.

The rover used a drill at its robotic arm to make a circular, 2.65 millimeter-deep hole in a rock called Adirondack, said Stephen Gorevan, a scientist handling some of Spirit's workload at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.

"We made some history here. We put the first planned hole on Mars," Gorevan told reporters at the JPL.

The circular hole could give scientists clues to Mars' geologic past, according to Gorevan.

Spirit, stopping data communication on Jan. 21 by its computer memory problem, returned to science operation on Thursday. Its twin, Opportunity, is on the opposite side of Mars, where it is examining an outcropping of bedrock.

Questions?Comments? Click here

NASA prepares for second Mars rover landing

NASA unable to communicate with Mars Spirit rover

US rover Spirit rolls onto Mars

China, Wi-Fi fight for WLAN standard ( 4 Messages)

US visa rules anger students ( 13 Messages)

Beijing to build two new Christian churches ( 4 Messages)

Australian PM appalled at attack on Chinese restaurants ( 8 Messages)

China concerned about Japan dispatching troops to Iraq: FM spokeswoman ( 3 Messages)