The previous rovers Spirit and Opportunity each had a Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT), a high-speed grinder with brushes to remove that weathered external layer of rock and eliminate dust. Perseverance creates abraded spots that look similar to the ones Spirit and Opportunity made, however it does so in a really various way.
NASAs Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its Left Mastcam-Z cam. Mastcam-Z is a set of cams situated high on the rovers mast. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Perseverance is geared up with a rotary percussive drill and a suite of interchangeable drill bits. The sampling group had the task of having the ability to collect cores, gather regolith, and develop abraded patches all utilizing the very same drill.
To do this, the abrading bits have an unusual tooth pattern: 3 parallel lines of different lengths, organized asymmetrically. When the drill spins and hammers with an abrading bit, that tooth pattern produces crisscrossing, well dispersed effects in the rock. This chips away the surface area and makes a smooth, flat patch of fresh rock about 2 inches (5 centimeters) in diameter.
NASAs Mars Perseverance rover got this image using its Left Mastcam-Z video camera. Mastcam-Z is a set of cams situated high on the rovers mast. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
The recently drilled abrasion is complete of cuttings– the dust created by drilling. The cuttings conceal what the scientists are interested in seeing: the color and shape of specific grains in the abrasion. Determination removes the cuttings using another tool on the turret called the Gaseous Dust Removal Tool (GDRT). The GDRT has a tank of nitrogen gas and utilizes 4 brief puffs to blow the cuttings away and expose the fresh rock surface beneath.
The rover can then utilize its suite of instruments to study the abrasion. These observations provide insight into the formation of the area, and likewise assist the team choose whether to take a core sample from that rock.
NASAs Mars Perseverance rover got this image utilizing its SHERLOC WATSON electronic camera, located on the turret at the end of the rovers robotic arm. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
I began my profession at JPL as a mechanical engineering intern working on the style of the abrading bit. Seven years later on, I assisted drill our first abrasion on Mars. Im thrilled to hear what conclusions the scientists draw from their analysis, and to see what surprises our next abrasion holds.
Written by Iona Brockie, Sampling Engineer at NASA/JPL.
When the Perseverance rover finishes a drive and is checking out a new location, you might see it produce a round, shallow hole in a neighboring rock. Why does it do this, and how?
Mars rovers are robotic geologists. The environment on the surface of Mars can considerably alter the outside of a rock.
The environment on the surface area of Mars can drastically change the exterior of a rock. NASAs Mars Perseverance rover got this image using its Left Mastcam-Z electronic camera. When the drill hammers and spins with an abrading bit, that tooth pattern creates crisscrossing, well dispersed effects in the rock. NASAs Mars Perseverance rover got this image utilizing its Left Mastcam-Z electronic camera. The GDRT has a tank of nitrogen gas and uses four short puffs to blow the cuttings away and expose the fresh rock surface below.
