Curiosity Preparing for Second Scoop

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Curiosity Preparing for Second Scoop

This 360-degree scene shows the surroundings of the location where NASA Mars rover Curiosity arrived on the 59th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission on Mars (Oct. 5, 2012). Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech› Full image and caption › Latest images › Curiosity gallery › Curiosity videos

On Sol 65 (Oct. 11, 2012) of the Mars Science Laboratory mission, NASA's Mars rover Curiosity completed several activities in preparation for collecting its second scoop of soil. Like the first scoop, the next will come from a ripple of sand and dust at "Rocknest," and will be used for cleaning interior surfaces of the sample-handling chambers on the arm.

The Collection and Handling for In-Situ Martian Rock Analysis (CHIMRA) tool on the end of arm shook out remnants of the first scoopful and posed for camera inspection to verify it was emptied. The Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) moved close some loose material on the ground to get a good look. Seeing more detail in the object will help engineers finish assessing whether this loose material from the spacecraft poses any concern for future operations. A raw image from that MAHLI activity is at http://1.usa.gov/Qgs5ha .

Sol 65, in Mars local mean solar time at Gale Crater, will end at 2:22 a.m. Oct. 12, PDT (5:22 a.m., EDT).

Guy Webster 818-354-6278

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov

2012-321

Source

[Zeta Reticulum]

Yep, first scoop was interrupted by some piece of plastic or something like that which was spotted. Grainy photos of which were distributed (even though that machine must have some of the best HD cameras available). It held up scooping for a day or so... was conveniently forgotton about. I think we will find this sort of thing happening many times... with traces of Mar's past coming up so inconveniently now and then.

Edited October 13, 2012 by Zeta Reticulum

[Rafterman]

Yep, first scoop was interrupted by some piece of plastic or something like that which was spotted. Grainy photos of which were distributed (even though that machine must have some of the best HD cameras available). It held up scooping for a day or so... was conveniently forgotton about. I think we will find this sort of thing happening many times... with traces of Mar's past coming up so inconveniently now and then.

Or, more than likely, it fell off the rover itself.