Curiosity Rover (Curious) started the first stage of work with the rig. This is the first in the history of drilling on another planet. The purpose of drilling operations is studying the possibility of existence in the geological past of Mars conditions that could exist bacteria.

During the tests the drill impact hollowed out more indentations on a flat plot of rocks within the crater Gail, where Curiosity landed in August 2012. Curiosity is the first Rover, equipped with this rig, and not scrapers, with whom he worked the phones of the early generations. Samples of Martian soil taken from a depth of a few centimeters, will allow scientists to analyze the composition of the breed, not exposed to weathering and solar radiation, reports the BBC.

Drilling engineers NASA have broken down into several stages. At the first stage specialists should make sure that the drill machine and selected area of the rocky soil behave within acceptable parameters. For this drill is used in the mode bits, making small cavities and trying the strength of a selected area.

At the second stage rotating drill will do in a rock a few holes. At the third stage in one of the holes special drill will RUB the stone into dust, which will be served in the onboard automatic laboratory SAM designed for analysis of solid samples.

Curiosity is the largest and most complex machine, landing on Mars. The handset weighs 899 kg, its length is 2.9 meters. Aboard the Rover has two scientific laboratories and several tools, including cameras, a high resolution.

Place of landing, embossed meteorite Equatorial crater Gail diameter 154 km, selected among the 60 possible landing sites. It is here that the probability of finding traces of life of the most high, scientists say. The apparatus has already discovered the ancient riverbed of the brook, and placer pebbles, formed under influence of rapidly flowing water.