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.
