Curiosity's SAM lab gets down and dirty with first soil sample
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Curiosity's SAM laboratory prior to installation (Image: NASA)
SAM's inlets (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
Artist's concept of Curiosity (Image: NASA)
Curiosity's SAM laboratory prior to installation (Image: NASA)
Curiosity's SAM laboratory prior to installation (Image: NASA)
Engineering diagram of SAM (Image: NASA)
Article Summary
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has sniffed the Martian air and now its Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument has taken its first taste of soil. The microwave-size internal laboratory of the nuclear-powered rover received its first sample on November 9 and spent the next two days analyzing it. Taken at the Rocknest area of Gale Crater, the purpose of the sampling is to study soil composition with a special emphasis on seeking organic molecules.
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