NASA's Curiosity Rover On Mars Can Once Again Drill Into Rocks

NASA precious Curiosity rover is once again drilling the surface of Mars. The robotic vehicle used a new drilling technique May 20 and penetrated into a Martian rock named "Duluth" for the first time in more than a year. Though drilling a hole in a rock appears to be no big thing, especially for a technology-rigged rover strolling on the red planet, it's a big milestone for NASA. The engineers worked hard for months to make sure the latest method works appropriately and overcomes the mechanical problems witnessed almost two years ago. Curiosity's original drilling mechanism went offline in 2016, taking away the vehicle's critical ability to analyze powder samples from Martian rocks. According to a Gizmodo report, first electrical issues plagued the drill's hammering mechanism and then the vehicle's drill feed malfunctioned in December that year.