This microscopic imager mosaic of the rock called "Diamond Jenness" was
snapped on sol 177 before NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity ground
into the surface with its rock abrasion tool, or "Rat."
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.
