spacetoday.net: space news from around the webin association with SpaceNews


Curiosity collects first Martian bedrock sample with drill
Posted: Sun, Feb 10, 2013, 9:21 AM ET (1421 GMT)
MSL first drill hole, Feb 2013 (NASA/JPL) A little over six months after landing on the surface of Mars, NASA's Curiosity rover has collected its first sample of Martian bedrock. obtained by the rover's drill, NASA announced Saturday. Curiosity bored a hole about 1.6 centimeters in diameter and 6.4 centimeters deep into Martian bedrock, collecting a sample of powered rock. Scientists plan to analyze the sample with instruments on the rover to better understand wet environments that existed on the planet's surface early in its history. The drilling was the first time any spacecraft has drilled into the Martian surface to collect a sample; Curiosity tested the drill on a nearby portion of the same rock a few days earlier. The drill was the last of the rover's major pieces of equipment to be tested after its landing in August in Gale Crater.
<<previous article   next article>>
news in brief
Shenzhou-20 launches to Tiangong space station
Posted: Sun, Apr 27 10:25 AM ET (1425 GMT)

Falcon 9 launches Starlink satellites
Posted: Sun, Apr 27 10:20 AM ET (1420 GMT)

Northwood Space raises $30 million
Posted: Sun, Apr 27 10:16 AM ET (1416 GMT)

news links
Wednesday, April 30
Lockheed Demo Satellite Lost During Firefly Launch Mishap
Aviation Week — 6:54 am ET (1054 GMT)


about spacetoday.net   ·   info@spacetoday.net   ·   mailing list