Mars rock traps NASA’s Curiosity rover drill for six days

A still showing the rover’s drill stuck in the rock. PIC/NASA

On April 25, NASA's Curiosity rover drilled into a Mars rock nicknamed ‘Atacama'. Instead of breaking apart cleanly during sampling, the rock remained attached to the rover's drill sleeve as it lifted its robotic arm.

NASA estimates the rock measured 1.5 feet wide at its base, 6 inches thick, and weighed 13 kg. NASA's team tried vibrating the drill to shake the rock loose.

Four days later, operators reoriented the arm and tried vibrations again, causing some sand to fall off. On May 1, engineers tilted the drill more, rotated it, vibrated it and spun the bit, and Atacama finally let go, cracking apart as it hit the Martian surface.

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