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The Drill We Sent to Mars
In 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars. Equipped with a bevy of scientific tools, one of its most important is a drill. Destin from Smarter Every Day is both a space nerd and a drill nerd, and he wondered: What's so special about that Curiosity drill?
In the video below, Destin visits JPL to learn about the drill. How does it work? How does it drill into unpredictable surfaces? What happens if the drill bit wears out? What does the rover do with the material removed from the drilled hole? What does the MarsYard simulation field (on Earth) look like? This is all great stuff for space fans. Drill down:
Related reading: Why the Curiosity Rover is Forbidden From Collecting Water on Mars.