Curiosity rover takes its first Martian soil samples
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Engineering graphic of Curiosity's Collection and Handling for In-Situ Martian Rock Analysis (CHIMRA) device (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Internal chambers of the Collection and Handling for In-Situ Martian Rock Analysis (CHIMRA) device (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
A 3D image of Glenelg taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona)
High-resolution image of the scuff mark made by Curiosity for taking soil samples (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
Image of Curiosity's scoop showing particles too large for rover's labs, left over after vibrating (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
Fine sand filtered through Curiosity's sieve as part of the decontamination exercise (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
Close-up image of the delivery tube after decontamination (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
Rock "Jake Matijevic" studied by Curiosity with areas probed indicated (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
Graphic representation of the chemical composition of the rock "Jake Matijevic" taken by the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument over four Martian Days (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/IRAP)
Graph showing the likely presence of the mineral pyroxene in the rock "Jake Matijevic" detected by the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/IRAP/SSI)
Animated graphic showing the three dimensional spectra of the rock "Jake Matijevic" (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/IRAP/UNM)
Graph of elements in the rock "Jake Matijevic" as detected by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Guelph/CSA)
Panorama of the Rocknest location (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Image of scoop sample are showing that the bright objects were embedded in the soil rather than on top (Image: ASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
Color image of the piece of plastic found by Curiosity that may have been deposited during its landing (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
The first three bite marks of Curiosity's robotic arm (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Curiosity's first soil sample on the observation tray (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Bright particle seen in soil sample area later determined to be natural (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
Article Summary
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover took its first soil sample last week. The unmanned explorer used its robotic arm to scoop up a bit of the Martian surface, which it then sieved. A baby-Aspirin sized portion was subsequently deposited into its internal laboratory for analysis by the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument, to determine what minerals it contains.
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