Rock Abrasion Tool

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Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) on the Mars Rover Opportunity's Instrument Deployment Device.
Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) on the Mars Rover Opportunity's Instrument Deployment Device.

The Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) is a grinder and brush installed on the MER-A (Spirit) and MER-B (Opportunity) Mars rovers that brushes and grinds rock surfaces.

The RAT has been used to grind a hole in the rock Adriondack. The hole is approximately 2.65 millimeters deep.
The RAT has been used to grind a hole in the rock Adriondack. The hole is approximately 2.65 millimeters deep.

The RAT weighs 0.7 kilograms (1.5 pounds) and draws 30 watts of power, less than most light bulbs. It is approximately the size of a soda can. It is installed on the turret, or "hand," of the rovers' arm. It can abrade approximately a quarter centimeter of rock per hour from a hard rock surface. Once the underlying rock is exposed, the MERs' imagers and spectrometers analyse the rock.

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