Space / 2021-08-12
Laser Shots at Roubion
NASA's image library records Laser Shots at Roubion.
This composite image, made from four taken by the SuperCam instrument aboard NASA's Perseverance rover on August 8, 2021, shows the hole in a Martian rock where the rover attempted to collect its first sample; the small pits within it were created by laser zaps from SuperCam during subsequent efforts to analyze the rock's composition. The rover sci
A CLOSER LOOK
This composite image, made from four taken by the SuperCam instrument aboard NASA's Perseverance rover on August 8, 2021, shows the hole in a Martian rock where the rover attempted to collect its first sample; the small pits within it were created by laser zaps from SuperCam during subsequent efforts to analyze the rock's composition. The rover science team has nicknamed the drill hole "Roubion." The team believes that because of this rock's unusual composition, the process of extracting a core created a significant pile of tailings (or cuttings) around the coring hole. Eight pits produced by 30 laser shots each are seen in two columns inside the drill hole. The SuperCam team's analysis suggests that the top six pits penetrated the compacted mound of tailings around the hole, while the bot
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FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
NASA Image and Video LibraryLaser Shots at RoubionOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.