InSight space probe drill deepens into Martian soil
NASA experts said that they will push the drill of the Martian station InSight so that it goes deeper into the ground and does not jump out. In addition, they will fill the well with soil to improve traction.
NASA came to this decision after a year of trying to make a deepening on the surface of Mars. The team plans to put pressure on a tool designed for driving to a depth of 5 m. They hope that pressing will give them the opportunity to immerse the drill for further research.
The Insight tool should drill a well into which a special bundle with a set of temperature sensors will enter. Drilling work started at the beginning of last year, but due to the peculiarities of the structure, it got stuck in the ground in the InSight landing zone.
The NASA team was already able to find out that it got stuck due to the fact that the soil in this part of Mars is different from that found in other parts of the planet. It turned out that InSight landed in an area with an unusually thick and hard crust with a layer of cemented soil. Instead of being friable and similar to sand, granules of the soil stick together and do not allow the drill to move.
In order for the drill to move down, it needs soil friction, and without it, the return from the self-absorbing action leads to the fact that it simply bounces into place. In March 2019, the InSight team began using a robotic bucket to push on the side of the tool.
NASA came to this decision after a year of trying to make a deepening on the surface of Mars. The team plans to put pressure on a tool designed for driving to a depth of 5 m. They hope that pressing will give them the opportunity to immerse the drill for further research.
The Insight tool should drill a well into which a special bundle with a set of temperature sensors will enter. Drilling work started at the beginning of last year, but due to the peculiarities of the structure, it got stuck in the ground in the InSight landing zone.
The NASA team was already able to find out that it got stuck due to the fact that the soil in this part of Mars is different from that found in other parts of the planet. It turned out that InSight landed in an area with an unusually thick and hard crust with a layer of cemented soil. Instead of being friable and similar to sand, granules of the soil stick together and do not allow the drill to move.
In order for the drill to move down, it needs soil friction, and without it, the return from the self-absorbing action leads to the fact that it simply bounces into place. In March 2019, the InSight team began using a robotic bucket to push on the side of the tool.
