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.
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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.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
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