 AP Photo
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Posted on 03/08/2004 4:54:30 PM PST by Mark Felton
LOS ANGELES - The sophisticated grinding tool deployed by NASA (news - web sites)'s rover Opportunity was apparently no match for a chunk of martian rock.
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The rover was to use its rock abrasion tool Sunday to grind away at a martian outcropping dubbed "Flat Rock," but the tool left "no discernible impression on the rock," NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory reported.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientists now hope to learn more about the rock's makeup by scraping its exterior. All indications are that the tool is working, NASA said.
Researchers also plan to have Opportunity use its alpha particle X-ray spectrometer to identify the rock's chemical elements before attempting to grind away at it again later this week.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Mars, Opportunity's twin rover, Spirit, traveled nearly 86 feet Saturday, bringing its total odometer reading to more than 822 feet. But because Spirit had to maneuver around several obstacles on its journey, it made a net gain of just 72 feet toward its ultimate destination, a large depression scientists have nicknamed the "Bonneville Crater."
Spirit was expected to use an array of scientific tools to take measurements of its surroundings before continuing toward the crater.
The twin rovers' $820 million mission was designed to seek geological clues to whether ancient Mars had enough water to have supported life. Both rovers have now found evidence of past water activity on the planet, NASA announced last week.
What is the elemental compostion and what are the physical properties of this "Krytonite" stuff? Google was not my friend on this one.
Funny - I got a number of hits with an incorrect spelling in my attempt to find the correct spelling initially - then proceeded to misspell it anyway!
Add a 'p'.
"Kryptonite"
Try that.
Every article from an outside news source (not NASA) has to quote the price of the mission. Why?
Man, that's even worse! But I did learn quite a bit about Superman.
Hard Rock found on Mars!
Iron Maiden unavailable for comment.
I love those rovers!!!!
"Rock too hard for a diamond drill? or some sort of equipment failure?"
""Krytonite" "
c'mon guys. you're brutal
what do you expect for $3 billion dollars?
its made out of "lego's"
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