Media Information

 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Title:
'Diamond Jenness': After the Grind
Original Caption Released with Image:
This microscopic imager mosaic taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the rock dubbed "Diamond Jenness." It was taken on sol 177 (July 23, 2004) after the rover first ground into the rock with its rock abrasion tool, or "Rat." The rover later ground into the rock a second time. A sliced spherule, or "blueberry," is visible in the upper left corner of the hole.

Opportunity has bored nearly a dozen holes into the inner walls of "Endurance Crater." On sols 177 and 178 (July 23 and July 24, 2004), the rover worked double-duty on Diamond Jenness. Surface debris and the bumpy shape of the rock resulted in a shallow and irregular hole, only about 2 millimeters (0.08 inch) deep. The final depth was not enough to remove all the bumps and leave a neat hole with a smooth floor. This extremely shallow depression was then examined by the rover's alpha particle X-ray spectrometer.

On Sol 178, Opportunity's "robotic rodent" dined on Diamond Jenness once again, grinding almost an additional 5 millimeters (about 0.2 inch). The rover then applied its Moessbauer spectrometer to the deepened hole. This double dose of Diamond Jenness enabled the science team to examine the rock at varying layers. Results from those grindings are currently being analyzed.

The image mosaic is about 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) across.
Image Credit:
NASA/JPL/Cornell/USG S
Produced By:
JPL
Mission:
Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Spacecraft:
Opportunity
Target Name:
Mars
Is a satellite of:
Sol (our sun)
Instrument:
Microscopic Imager
Product Size:
2334 samples x 2148 lines
facet_what:
Sun
facet_what:
Crater
facet_what:
Spectrometer
facet_what:
Mars
facet_what:
Opportunity
facet_what:
Imager
facet_what:
Microscopic Imager
facet_what:
Moessbauer Spectrometer
facet_what:
Rock Abrasion Tool
facet_what:
RAT
facet_what:
Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
facet_where:
Mars
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_when:
July 24, 2004
facet_when:
July 23, 2004
facet_when_year:
2004
Image #:
PIA06749
UID:
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA06749
orignial url:

'Diamond Jenness': After the Grind