Our next major task is to select a suitable place for the first drilling operation using high resolution MastCam images that we have been taking. Curiosity has a drill in the central part of the robotic arm and two spare drill bits on the lower front of the rover. Drilling about 5 cm deep allows us to extract material from below the surface which has not been exposed to the harsh ultraviolet flux that Mars experiences due to its thin atmosphere. Thus it gives a new way at looking at Mars that has not been possible with previous landers.
The drill operates by rotating and hammering. After drilling, the drill bit with sample is retracted from the hole. The robotic arm will then transfer the sample to CHIMRA for further analysis by the instruments within Curiosity.
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