The Mars rover Curiosity appears to be suffering intermittent short circuits in its robotic arm, which could limit its drilling of rocks, NASA said on Friday.
The problem cropped up on Feb. 27 when sensors on the rover observed a surge of current. The rover automatically stopped what it was doing and waited for further instructions from Earth.
Curiosity had been in the middle of shaking a sample of rock powder into its onboard chemical laboratory. That same process was used without a problem in five drilling efforts in 2013 and 2014. The rover can also use this hammering motion to help the drill penetrate harder rocks.
In a first test after the power surge, the rover retraced its steps up to the shaking. There were no problems.
The results of a second test arrived Thursday afternoon. The drill repeated the up-and-down motion 180 times and a small surge, lasting a fraction of a second, occurred during the third stroke.
Engineers are planning further tests to determine the extent and severity of the problem.
The problem does not imperil the $2.5 billion mission. Other scientific instruments not on the arm have continued observations, and the rest of the rover is not affected. However, Jim Erickson, the project manager, said that without the hammering motion, Curiosity’s drill might not be able to penetrate harder rocks.
So far, the rocks that the rover has encountered have been fairly soft, Mr. Erickson said.
Curiosity is at the base of an 18,000-foot-tall mountain. The rocks are made of layers of sediment dating to an era when Mars appears to have been warm and wet, and as the rover climbs the mountain, scientists hope that changes in the rocks will help them understand how the planet’s climate changed over time.
The mission team plans to resume moving the rover’s arm as early as next week. After Curiosity moves the sample of powder, collected from a rock named Telegraph Peak, to its laboratory, it is to resume its slow drive up the mountain.
- http://bit.ly/1KyBnnY
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu