NASA's Mars rover Curiosity used one of its new tools to brush dust off of a Martian rock, the space agency announced on Monday. Curiosity used its Dust Removal Tool, and made an interesting discovery when it removed the reddish-brown particles off of the rock, called "Ekwir_1," Mars' surface appears to be white.
According to Space.com, Curiosity used the new tool to gain a better look at the Martian rocks that could be drilled into at a further study. The Dust Removal Tool is attached to the end of the rover's robotic arm and is a motorized brush with wire bristles, Space.com reported.
The tool, which was built by Honeybee Robotics of New York City, is similar to the brushes found on previous rover missions. Honeybee Robotics spokesman John Abrashkin told the website, "This is similar to the brush on board the Rock Abrasion Tools on Spirit and Opportunity, and will let researchers get a look at the rock (rather than the pervasive dust) before deciding whether to drill for a sample."
In a statement released by NASA, mission leader for the Dust Removal Tool at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Diana Trujillo explained why the team had chosen to use the brush on "Ekwir_1," located in the "Yellowknife Bay" of Mars' Gale Crater.
"We wanted to be sure we had an optimal target for the first use," Trujillo said. "We need to place the instrument within less than half an inch of the target without putting the hardware at risk. We needed a flat target, one that wasn't rough, one that was covered with dust. The results certainly look good."
A photo released by the space agency shows the patch of surface where Curiosity bristled away the characteristic Martian red dust. In the photo, the cleaned surface appears to white or white-ish. The website Popular Science first noticed the oddity of the pale color.
The Curiosity rover has been stationed on the Red Planet since August 5, 2012 for a two-year-long mission to determine if Mars may have once sustained primitive life. The $2.5 billion rover is currently making its way towards a point called Glenelg at the bottom of Mount Sharp.