RAT hole on Pilbara The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity broke its own record for the deepest hole ground in a rock on another planet with a 7.2 millimeter (about 0.28 inches) grind on the rock “Pilbara,” on the rover’s 86th sol on Mars. The image on the left is from the rover’s panoramic camera and features Pilbara before the grind. After careful examination of the rock, abrasion tool engineers determined that the upper left portion (as visible in this image) of Pilbara was the safest area to grind. The now familiar “blueberries” (or spherules) are present in this rock, however, they do not appear in the same manner as other berries examined during this mission. Reminiscent of a golf tee, the blueberries sit atop a “stem,” thus making them even more of an obstacle through which to grind. The left side of the rock is relatively berry-free and proved to be an ideal spot for the procedure. The image on the left is a panoramic camera picture highlighting the hole left by the rock abrasion tool after two hours and 16 minutes of grinding. The hole is 7.2 millimeters (about 0.28 inches) deep and 4.5 centimeters (about 1.8 inches) in diameter. The tool swept the hole clean after grinding, leaving the ring of cuttings around the hole. When this image was taken, the abraded area was mostly shaded by the rover, with the sun peeking through the joint that connects the front solar panel to the body of the rover. The team has developed a new approach to commanding the rock abrasion tool that allows for more aggressive grinding parameters. The tool is now programmed, in the event of a stall, to retreat from its target and attempt to grind again. This allows the grinder to essentially re-set itself instead of aborting its sequence altogether and waiting for further commands from rover planners. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell APPROVED BY: Phil Chu 607/227-8023 cell CAPTION WRITER: Colleen Sharkey 818/625-0653 cell RELEASE DATE: April 22, 2004 IMAGE FILE NAME: _xpe_pubeng_approved_042104_Pre_RAT_Pilbara.jpg, Xpe_pubeng_approved_042104_Post_Rat_Pilabara.jpg SOURCE FILE NAME(S): SUMMARY INFORMATION: Pancams of RAT hole on “Pilbara” NAME OF SUBMITTER: Steve Gorevan/Phil Chu INSTITUTION: Honeybee Robotics THEME/TEAM/GROUP: RAT SOL OF OBSERVATION: 86 EARTH DATE OF OBSERVATION: April 21, 2004 TITLE OF IMAGE: Before and After the Grind CAPTION: Above
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