A crop from a 9-tile NavCam image shows the latest sample hole drilled in the surface of Mars. The drilled hole has an approximate diameter of 1 inch (2.5 cm). A rock core appears in several Bayer encoded raw images from the MastCam-Z camera. I’ll post the color processed versions when they become available. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Those look like flagstones.
Those look like flagstones.
You get a better view in the wider angel shots in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWAeUld_HD4
Yep, that’s the exact term used by some planetary geologists since this kind of terrain was first seen in 2004. On this mission they’ve been quite common as well, starting with the very first abrasion/sampling site, among many others.
Mars Guy video on Sunday had me worried after it was stuck for days then of course the big reveal in the last 30 seconds that Perseverance can just drop the drill bit and that it has lots more. C’mon man!
Glad to hear it’s all worked out though.
Dropping a bit is one of the options they had, but there appears to be a little wear on some of the coring bits, so I assume that dropping a bit is probably not their preferred option after such an event. Hoping to see a mission update as to why the drilling operation was stalled, it could be as simple as a small movement on one of the wheels was detected.
