Curiosity’s Six-Day Standoff: How a 29-Pound Mars Rock Held NASA’s Rover
TL;DR
NASA’s Curiosity rover drilled into a large Mars rock nicknamed Atacama (about 1.5 feet wide at its base, 6 inches thick, roughly 28.6 pounds). The rock stubbornly stayed attached to the drill sleeve, delaying sampling for six days. Engineers tried vibrating the drill, reorienting the arm, and other maneuvers, and on the first attempt after the standoff the rock cracked free, letting Curiosity resume its Mars science mission with the moment captured on video.
- A 29-pound Mars rock held NASA's Curiosity rover hostage for 6 days Yahoo
- NASA’s Curiosity Rover Frees Its Drill From a Rock NASA Science (.gov)
- A 29-pound Mars rock held NASA's Curiosity rover hostage for 6 days (video) Space
- Shake it off—NASA’s Curiosity rover gets its robotic arm stuck inside a rock on Mars Scientific American
- Watch NASA’s Curiosity Rover Unstick Itself From a Rock Nautilus | Science
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