A problem with drilling on Mars
In drilling a new hole while scientists considered Curiosity’s future route to Mount Sharp, the drill cut off operations prematurely.
Engineers think that the rock might have shifted during drilling, causing the robot rover to abort. They have ordered the rover to take a lot of pictures of the situation so they can figure out what happened.
I should note that engineers take a large risk every time they use Curiosity’s drill, as the design of the rover’s electrical system is such that the drill might short everything out while it operates. Thus, when I see a story about a problem with any drilling operation, I become very concerned. In this case, however, it appears to not be a problem with the rover itself.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
In drilling a new hole while scientists considered Curiosity’s future route to Mount Sharp, the drill cut off operations prematurely.
Engineers think that the rock might have shifted during drilling, causing the robot rover to abort. They have ordered the rover to take a lot of pictures of the situation so they can figure out what happened.
I should note that engineers take a large risk every time they use Curiosity’s drill, as the design of the rover’s electrical system is such that the drill might short everything out while it operates. Thus, when I see a story about a problem with any drilling operation, I become very concerned. In this case, however, it appears to not be a problem with the rover itself.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Even if there is nothing wrong on *Curiosity*, the terrain itself could threaten the mission when drilling. If you drill into ground where there is ice to melt, from friction heating, and that water mixes with the soil, you could easily get a clay that grips, or several other possibilities that leave the drill stuck in the ground. Is there a mechanism to eject the drill if it gets stuck in the ground?
Too bad we don’t station our telerobotic operators a little closer.
Yes, they can eject the drill bit. They even have a couple of drill bits in reserve, stored on the front of the rover, which the arm can change to if one would break. All systems seem to have back-ups. If a Martian train ran over Curiosity, it would still be able to work and do some science. It could loose four wheels and still move around. That rover will be with us for a decade.
We might simulate real time telerobitcs on Mars from Earth! This is such a great idea, I hope it can be tested with Curiosity. Its operations are painfully slow today. If this works it could work 24/7 always with geolocists at its steering wheel, I recommend that you watch this talk:
“Telexploration: How video game technologies can take NASA to the next level”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeSGuGw4aJU
55 minutes into this lecture, the “Scarecrow” version of Curiosity is explained.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures_archive.php?year=2014&month=8