NASA's Curiosity Rover may be drilling in the Martian sandstone called "Windjana".
The space agency said Curiosity is currently at a rock outcrop called "The Kimberley," and will use its cameras, laser and X-ray spectrometery to learn about Windjana's composition, according to Nature World News.
Windjana was named after a gorge located in Western Australia. If chosen, the sandstone will be the mission's third drill rock, and the first non-mudstone rock. The rover would collect dust samples from within the rock for study.
The researchers are still analyzing images of the samples collected, but it appears the drilling mission is a go, CBS News reported.
"Over the weekend, Curiosity used its Dust Removal Tool (DRT) to brush the surface of Windjana, and also performed a pre-load test with the rover arm to see if the rock would be a suitable target for drilling. Both of these activities were successful, and nothing so far has ruled out Windjana as our next drill target," said Melissa Rice, a member of the research team.
Rice added that the team's interest in the sandstone was reinforced by several of its qualities, including its fine grain, an appearance more gray than the surface dust and some particularly hard portions, which lends to its bumpy texture.
The team wants to study the cement that holds the grains in the sandstone together, CBS News reported.
"We want to learn more about the wet process that turned sand deposits into sandstone here," said John Grotzinger, scientist from the Curiosity Project of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. "What was the composition of the fluids that bound the grains together? That aqueous chemistry is part of the habitability story we're investigating."
The team is also wants to understand why some sandstone in Windjana's region is harder than others, Nature World News reported.
They are looking to use the drilling of the sandstone to learn about the formation of Gale Crater, which is where the rover is currently working, along with Mount Sharp, which formed in the center of the crater.
