"Extremely-Remote" Working: Solving A "Barsoomian" Core Sample Tube Jam, From 40 Million Miles Away... On Mars

Talk about an extreme remote work arrangement: radio commands take about 18 minutes, round trip at this point. That's one laggy non-Wi-Fi connect. But all that means is. . . this team will be. . . patient. The problem?

There's a few pebbles firmly wedged in the core driller's sample deposit tube mechanism, and so the team is going to dump it out, just as if it were non-needed drink of water, in a tube here on Earth. The idea is that gravity will solve the problem most easily -- followed by shaking it about a bit, if needed.

Here's the latest, from the NASA Mars mission teams:

. . .Which brings me to next steps in our pebble mitigation strategy: we’re sending up commands to the rover later [on January 14, 2022], ordering it to do two rotation tests of the bit carousel. These tests (the first, a small rotation; the second, larger) will execute this weekend. Our expectations are that these rotations – and any subsequent pebble movement – will help guide our team, providing them the necessary information on how to proceed. Still, to be thorough, we are also commanding the rover to take a second set of under-chassis images, just in case one or more pebbles happen to pop free.

We expect the data and imagery from these two rotation tests to be sent to Earth by next Tuesday, Jan. 18. From there, we’ll analyze and further refine our plans. If I had to ballpark it, I would estimate we’ll be at our current location another week or so -– or even more if we decide to re-sample Issole. . . .

So there you have it. The Perseverance team is exploring every facet of the issue to ensure that we not only get rid of this rocky debris but also prevent a similar reoccurrence during future sampling. Essentially, we are leaving no rock unturned in the pursuit of these four pebbles. . . .

Sometime this afternoon, we ought to know if the sample tube is freed-up and working again. In my days (and graveyard shift nights) at over 3,500 feet below the surface of the Rockies, I would have just grabbed that old tube, and banged it side-ways, on my 501's pant legs, at the thigh, so as not to damage the tube. But that is not an option, when the "drift" is between 40 and 75 million miles away in the vacuous blackness of frigid space. So we do it all "remote" instead. . . as is true with several things, it seems. . . a la food delivery, from Taziki's, for example. . . smile.

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