NEWS | February 11, 2010
Engineers Flex Curiosity's Robotic Arm and Tools
Engineers just completed the first end-to-end test for Curiosity's robotic arm and sampling tools, "flexing" the arm to see if it plays "nice" with the rest of the system.
Engineers exercised this test arm, which is identical to the robotic arm that will actually be attached to Curiosity. The real arm is being built in cleanrooms, and will be attached to Curiosity later in the year.
"We've tested the whole shebang," said Daniel Limonadi, an engineer doing robotic arm testing. "We've tested the hardware, software and electronics together to ensure that Curiosity's brain talks to its 'arm' and 'hands' so we can use it exactly as needed once it is on Mars."
In a few months, engineers will begin the next phase of fitness testing: drilling rocks and practicing using the arm as if the rover were on Mars. Curiosity is scheduled to launch in the autumn of 2011. Until then, engineers will continue to "workout" the robotic arm and tools so they will be in top shape for exploring Mars.
In this video clip, engineers from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory test and "flex" Curiosity's robotic arm and tools. The video shows the arm in the stowed and upright positions and rotating its tools.
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In this picture, the robotic arm for the Mars Science Laboratory undergoes testing in a laboratory at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The arm and tools will reach out and test martian rocks and soil. This arm is identical to the flight hardware that will actually be attached to Curiosity.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Full Size Image
In this picture, the robotic arm for the Mars Science Laboratory is bent at nearly a 90-degree angle. The robotic arm is undergoing testing in a laboratory at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. The arm and tools will reach out and test martian rocks and soil. This arm is identical to the flight hardware that will actually be attached to Curiosity.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech