Posted on 08/22/2012 8:02:26 PM PDT by smokingfrog
Curiosity has stretched its neck, flexed its arm and wiggled its toes – and it’s set to make its first drive on Mars after engineers at Jet Propulsion Laboratory send it instructions tonight. But in its self-examination, the Mars Science Laboratory has found more than a small bruise on its one-ton body.
Curiosity has been testing its cameras, laser and other functions since landing on the Red Planet on Aug. 5. NASA officials announced Monday that the rover had successfully unfolded its arm. The robotic arm holds what mission manager Michael Watkins called a veritable “Swiss army knife” of tools in its figurative fist, including a drill for boring into rocks and a microscopic camera for imaging their structure in extreme detail.
The Martian rover is also set to make its first drive. Engineers at JPL have now tested out the six-wheeled rover’s four steering wheels on each corner of its body. With the wheels rotating as expected, the NASA team members say they will be sending commands tonight that will have the rover move 3 meters forward – about the rover’s length – and then turn 90 degrees and back up. Curiosity will then get its first look at its own landing spot. That exercise should take about 30 minutes, officials said.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
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But then the cover could fail to retract.
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