That target likely won’t be Snake River, but the rock feature is interesting to NASA researchers for a few reasons, chiefly because it “has a crosscutting relationship to the surrounding rock,” says project scientist John Grotzinger, and that suggests it was most likely deposited there after the layer of rock that it cuts across. No is sure exactly what that means, but Curiosity is pausing there briefly to take a hard look at the formation. Meanwhile, the universe’s most popular robotic rover (that we know of) is taking in all of Yellowknife Bay as it considers areas in which it might be worthwhile to deploy the aforementioned hammering drill. This instrument will come out of Curiosity’s toolbox in the coming weeks to collect powdered samples from the interior of rocks for analysis by the rover’s onboard instruments. Stay tuned for rock smashing. PhysOrg
