https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2019/03/insight-landers-drill-got-stuck-on-a-rock-during-its-first-dig-into-mars/amp

InSight Lander’s Drill Got Stuck On A Rock During Its First Dig Into Mars

With a workspace free of major obstructions, the probe managed to deploy two of its primary instruments—the seismometer (aka the marsquake detector) and Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3), the latter of which was put to work for the first time on February 28.

The Mole then encountered another rock at a greater depth and was unable to proceed any deeper; mission planners were forced to stop after the four-hour drilling window expired. By the end of the session — some 4,000 hammer blows later — the Mole managed to drill down to a depth of 50 centimeters. This, according to the Associated Press, fell far short of expectations.

The HP3 experiment proceeds toward the goal of drilling a hole 3 to 5 meters deep.

The drill cannot be relocated or withdrawn. So it’s fingers crossed time.

Sounds like that may have been under-engineered and inadequately tested.

Bubblecar said:

Sounds like that may have been under-engineered and inadequately tested.

Like Phoenix, whose sample got stucknin the chute.

InSight was heavily based on Phoenix. But it startles me that they didn’t allow the drill to be extracted.

mollwollfumble said:

Bubblecar said:

Sounds like that may have been under-engineered and inadequately tested.

Like Phoenix, whose sample got stucknin the chute.

InSight was heavily based on Phoenix. But it startles me that they didn’t allow the drill to be extracted.

F’n LOVERLY! /-:<

Yet Another Case of “Penny Wise & Pound Foolish”!

They spend a billion bucks to put this thing on Mars
but saved on the amount of rocket fuel necessary to lift a
sufficiently powerful drilling mechanism to accomplish their goal.

Ogmog said:

F’n LOVERLY! /-:<

Yet Another Case of “Penny Wise & Pound Foolish”!

They spend a billion bucks to put this thing on Mars
but saved on the amount of rocket fuel necessary to lift a
sufficiently powerful drilling mechanism to accomplish their goal.

I vote we re-name this thread; “LACK of InSite”? >:-p

They may have figured that if the drill got stuck, they would not be able to have sufficient equipment on board to retrieve it.

It’s been my experience that getting things stuck in holes is a far worse problem that it would seem to a casual observer, especially when drills are concerned.

It is a disappointing result though.

Lary said:

They may have figured that if the drill got stuck, they would not be able to have sufficient equipment on board to retrieve it.

It’s been my experience that getting things stuck in holes is a far worse problem that it would seem to a casual observer, especially when drills are concerned.

It is a disappointing result though.

They have made one startling discovery though: When you drill into the ground on a “rocky” planet, you encounter rocks…

furious said:

They have made one startling discovery though: When you drill into the ground on a “rocky” planet, you encounter rocks…

Seems obvious in retrospect, or any other ‘spect.

This drill seems a bit of a boutique gadget, reminds me of Musk’s cave rescue sub.

But maybe we’re being too harsh.

Lary said:

furious said:

They have made one startling discovery though: When you drill into the ground on a “rocky” planet, you encounter rocks…

Seems obvious in retrospect, or any other ‘spect.

I expect it is.

Tamb said:

Lary said:

furious said:

They have made one startling discovery though: When you drill into the ground on a “rocky” planet, you encounter rocks…

Seems obvious in retrospect, or any other ‘spect.

I expect it is.

“While the instrument is designed to get around rocky obstacles, the German instrument team plans to stop the procedure for further investigation.”

Given that they have no option for replacement parts, a bit of caution is warranted.

you send a drill to mars with no plan B

great planning – keep it up

this plan has been put together by someone who probably NEVER used a drill, anyone with perhaps half an hours experience would know that drills seize into place all the time.

wookiemeister said:

you send a drill to mars with no plan B

great planning – keep it up

this plan has been put together by someone who probably NEVER used a drill, anyone with perhaps half an hours experience would know that drills seize into place all the time.

“While the instrument is designed to get around rocky obstacles, the German instrument team plans to stop the procedure for further investigation.”

Given that they have no option for replacement parts, a bit of caution is warranted.

It’s like deja vu all over again.

Beings to mind Southparks Captain Hindsight.

wookiemeister said:

you send a drill to mars with no plan B

great planning – keep it up

this plan has been put together by someone who probably NEVER used a drill, anyone with perhaps half an hours experience would know that drills seize into place all the time.

This isn’t a rotary drill.

This is a piledriver.

Rotary drills are notorious for freezing in place. Piledrivers much less frequently.