Trending Now - Curiosity Rover Rescued After Week-long Standoff With Mars Rock
WHO:
The Daily Galaxy - NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Curiosity rover
WHAT:
The Daily Galaxy - The Curiosity rover was temporarily stopped by a 29-pound rock nicknamed “Atacama.”
The Daily Galaxy - Atacama measured approximately 1.5 feet wide at its base and six inches thick.
The Daily Galaxy - This incident marked the first time in over 13 years that an entire rock remained attached to the drill sleeve after sampling.
Wired - The situation took nearly a week to resolve.
The Daily Galaxy - The rover's drill is designed to reduce rock to powder for chemical analysis, not to extract unbroken slabs.
The Daily Galaxy - Engineers made three attempts over six days to dislodge Atacama.
The Daily Galaxy - The breakthrough to free Atacama occurred on May 1, when engineers tilted the drill and combined drill rotation, vibration, and rapid spinning of the bit.
WHERE:
The Daily Galaxy - Gale Crater on Mars
WHEN:
The Daily Galaxy - Curiosity drilled into Atacama on April 25.
The Daily Galaxy - The first vibration attempt to dislodge Atacama occurred on April 25.
The Daily Galaxy - The second vibration attempt took place on April 29.
The Daily Galaxy - The successful dislodging of Atacama happened on May 1.
WHY:
The Daily Galaxy - The rock remained attached due to an unusually strong mechanical bond between Atacama and the drill sleeve.
HOW:
The Daily Galaxy - Engineers activated the drill’s vibration mechanism to attempt to shake Atacama loose.
The Daily Galaxy - The team repositioned Curiosity’s robotic arm and triggered another vibration sequence.
The Daily Galaxy - The final successful attempt involved tilting the drill to steeper angles and combining multiple actions (drill rotation, vibration, and rapid spinning).
(UPDATED May 13, 2026 17:44 UTC)
NASA's Curiosity rover encountered a significant challenge on Mars when it became temporarily halted by a 29-pound rock named "Atacama," which measured about 1.5 feet wide and six inches thick. This incident marked the first time in over 13 years that an entire rock remained attached to the drill sleeve after sampling, prompting engineers to make three attempts over six days to dislodge it. The breakthrough finally came on May 1, when the team successfully tilted the drill and combined various techniques to free Atacama.