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Curiosity Wrestles a Martian Rock, Breaks Free — Only for the Rock to Shatter on Impact

1 min read
Source: Gizmodo
Curiosity Wrestles a Martian Rock, Breaks Free — Only for the Rock to Shatter on Impact
Photo: Gizmodo
TL;DR

NASA’s Curiosity rover spent several days with a rock latched to its drill-equipped arm while drilling from a Martian rock nicknamed Atacama. Engineers tried vibrating and reorienting the arm, then tilting, rotating, and spinning the drill; the rock finally released during the first round of maneuvers, but shattered on impact, marking a rare rover win but a failure for the stubborn rock.

Topics:sciencespace#curiosity-rover#mars#nasa#robotic-arm#space#space-exploration
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  1. Watch NASA’s Curiosity Rover Struggle to Break Loose From a Rock on Mars  Gizmodo
  2. Curiosity Drilled Into a Rock on Mars And Gave Scientists a Big Surprise  ScienceAlert
  3. NASA’s Curiosity Rover Frees Its Drill From a Rock  NASA Science (.gov)
  4. Mars rover hits rocky snag with power tool  The Register
  5. The Curiosity Rover Got Stuck In Atacama Rock On Mars. NASA Fixed The Problem From 334 Million Kilometers Away  IFLScience

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