Update - The rock abrasion tool on Spirit drilled the first human-made hole in a rock on Mars . . .

NASA - JPL ^ | 02-07-2004 | NASA/JPL

[Phil V.]

SPIRIT UPDATE: The rock abrasion tool on Spirit drilled the first human-made hole in a rock on Mars…EVER! - sol 34, Feb 06, 2004

"The RAT performed beyond our expectations," beamed Steve Gorevan, of Honeybee Robotics, New York, lead scientist for the rock abrasion tools on both rovers. "With the docile cutting parameters we set, I didn't think that it would cut this deep. In fact, when we saw virtually a complete circle, I was thrilled beyond anything I could have ever dreamed. Following up that glorious circular brushing - it's like back-to-back homers."

This image, taken by Spirit's panoramic camera shows the circular, 2.65millimeter hole that will be further examined by the microscopic imager in the coming sols.

Although Gorevan and his team took a few moments to celebrate, they have already begun thinking about making more holes. The rock outcrop that Opportunity is heading toward has had the RAT team salivating since it was first revealed. With the first successful drilling under their belts, they are anxious to sink their teeth in again.

[Phil V.]

The thing with the two eye sockets and bony nasal septum?

yes. . . . . but in stereo it's a little less suggestive

[Professional Engineer]

Resistance is indeed futile...

You mean I'm supposed to resist?

[Phil V.]

OMG! . . . lovely . . . I'm smitten!

[Phil V.]

I can...was taught by an old Terran sedimentologist.

How old?

[mict42]

Great sense of humor.

[Fitzcarraldo]

All that ratting and they forgot to turn on the light!

[Fitzcarraldo]

[Fitzcarraldo]

"With the docile cutting parameters we set, I didn't think that it would cut this deep. In fact, when we saw virtually a complete circle, I was thrilled beyond anything I could have ever dreamed. Following up that glorious circular brushing - it's like back-to-back homers."

They are going to great lengths to distract us from what they are finding at the Opportunity site.

[null and void]

Martian Mushrooms?

They've been dubbed "barsooms" on another thread, I wish I could take credit....

[null and void]

There is no such thing as a colour CCD sensor. They are all basically just electronic photon counters, even the "colour" ones in eg. consumer digital cameras actually have an RGB colour filter matrix laid over the top of the pixels.

Carver Mead's Foveon chip is an actual color image sensor. He does it by stacking sensors with different peak wavelength sensitivities.

But then again he's always been a clever fellow, he and Lynn Conway changed the basic rules of IC design - design the chip to the baseline process, rather than tweak the process for every new design - and THAT played a large part in the IC revolution.

[null and void]

Ya beat ne to it. You dog you!

[null and void]

Who can resist at a time like this?

[null and void]

And funkle!

[Frank_Discussion]

That's really neat!

[Frank_Discussion]

Curiouser and curiouser...

[Aracelis]

Very good...now try it without using your finger or a card. After a bit of practice you will be able to view stereoscopic images without any assistance.

[Aracelis]

How old?

Not quite old enough. Brilliant mind, fantastic instructor, but I had to practice a good deal of proximity avoidance.

[Phil V.]

. . . I had to practice a good deal of proximity avoidance. . .

Bad breath?

[alnitak]

Thanks for the info guys.

[Don Joe]

Very good...now try it without using your finger or a card. After a bit of practice you will be able to view stereoscopic images without any assistance.

Yes, true. But now I can no longer drive, walk down the street, or read, without closing one eye.

(What? Didn't your mother tell you not to cross your eyes or else they'd stay that way? :)