Alien intelligences are at work on the red planet. Numbers of circles are being imaged on martian rocks by NASA’s industrious twosome, the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers.But hold on, these alien markings belong to Earthlings. They are the byproducts of the Rock Abrasion Tool. That hardware -- affectionately called the RAT -- is carried by both rovers as they wheel about performing scientific duties at Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum.The RAT has been busy at work, grinding out science data unique in the history of space exploration. It is also part of a mystery with scientists and the RAT builders scratching their collective heads a bit.The RAT was built by Honeybee Robotics, based in New York City. The robotically-controlled abrasion tool weighs a modest 1.5 pounds (about 685 grams) and measures 2.7 inches (7 centimeters) around by 4 inches (10 centimeters) long.
View: Full Article | Source: space.com
