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Mars rover Curiosity preparing for second scoop

Date:
October 12, 2012
Source:
NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Summary:
On Sol 65 (Oct. 11, 2012) of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, NASA's Mars rover Curiosity completed several activities in preparation for collecting its second scoop of soil. Like the first scoop, the next will come from a ripple of sand and dust at "Rocknest," and will be used for cleaning interior surfaces of the sample-handling chambers on the arm.
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On Sol 65 (Oct. 11, 2012) of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, NASA's Mars rover Curiosity completed several activities in preparation for collecting its second scoop of soil. Like the first scoop, the next will come from a ripple of sand and dust at "Rocknest," and will be used for cleaning interior surfaces of the sample-handling chambers on the arm.

The Collection and Handling for In-Situ Martian Rock Analysis (CHIMRA) tool on the end of arm shook out remnants of the first scoopful and posed for camera inspection to verify it was emptied. The Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) moved close some loose material on the ground to get a good look. Seeing more detail in the object will help engineers finish assessing whether this loose material from the spacecraft poses any concern for future operations.

A raw image from that MAHLI activity is at http://1.usa.gov/Qgs5ha .

Sol 65, in Mars local mean solar time at Gale Crater, will end at 2:22 a.m. Oct. 12, PDT (5:22 a.m., EDT).


Story Source:

Materials provided by NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


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NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Mars rover Curiosity preparing for second scoop." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 12 October 2012. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121012152650.htm>.
NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (2012, October 12). Mars rover Curiosity preparing for second scoop. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121012152650.htm
NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "Mars rover Curiosity preparing for second scoop." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121012152650.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

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