Mars Perseverance Sol 374– Front Right Hazard Avoidance Camera: The turret, midway through tasting the 2nd core from the rock Sid this March. During the drive to the delta, the sampling group is examining data from this and all previous drilling operations. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Drilling is on hold while the rover focuses on driving, so the tasting team is off studying the information we have acquired up until now. What sort of details do we receive from the drill, and how do the rocks we have drilled up until now compare to each other?
One of the very first things we look at is how tough it was for the drill to make development through the rock. The rover has a rotary percussive drill, which suggests the drill bit presses against the rock while spinning and hammering. The objective is to try and keep a certain rate of progress into the rock that isnt too sluggish or too quickly.
The prodapt algorithm can vary from level 0 to level 20. Level 3 has light percussion, and the percussion and force increase all the method up to the most force and the most percussion at level 20.
If the drill senses that it is not making fast enough development through a rock, it will increase the prodapt level. One note: although tough rocks often require greater levels, the interaction in between the rock and the drill is complicated, so prodapt level doesnt always match up with rock strength.
So which rock needed the least expensive prodapt levels, and which rock needed the highest? We have done a set of one abrasion and two cores on four different rocks up until now:
Rochette (August– September 2021).
Brac (November 2021).
Issole (December 2021– February 2022).
Sid (March 2022).
Lets start with the rock that required the most affordable levels: Issole. It was so easy to drill that the algorithm dipped into rotary only mode for part of both cores. The second simplest rock was Brac and the 3rd most convenient was Rochette. Both used prodapt levels in the middle of the variety with no rotary only coring. The rock that needed the highest prodapt levels so far was Sid. This rock was challenging to drill through, and both cores required some level 20 drilling to preserve the objective rate of progress!
The tasting group is thrilled to reach the delta and drill in a brand-new location. In the meantime, the rover continues to make great development, and has actually recently reached an overall range traveled of 5 miles (8 km).
Written by Iona Brockie, Sampling Engineer at NASA/JPL.
If the drill senses that it is not making quick adequate progress through a rock, it will increase the prodapt level. One note: although difficult rocks often need greater levels, the interaction in between the rock and the drill is intricate, so prodapt level doesnt always match up with rock strength. A rock may need high drill levels however break easily if a various type of tool was utilized.
Lets begin with the rock that required the lowest levels: Issole. The rock that required the highest prodapt levels so far was Sid.