Grinder
To combat the problem of a naturally occurring dust layer and
an obscuring weathering rind on rocks, Beagle 2 will be equipped
with a grinder. It is supplied by a Hong Kong dentist "call
me TC" Ng, together with his colleagues from the Polytechnic
University of Hong Kong.
His impression of the sound the surface grinder makes is something no one who has heard it will forget (just think of the last time you went to the dentist for a filling). The first laboratory demonstration of his device sent everyone diving for cover from flying debris.
The Corer
The Beagle 2 grinder works by a process in which the head
of the rock drill will 'wander' over a small area of a selected
surface. When the translational motion is curtailed the drill
bit begins to bite more deeply into the rock and penetrates
up to a centimetre into the interior. Because the bit is split
and hollow some sample is trapped inside. By reversing the
drilling action material equivalent to a 1 cm length, 2 mm
diameter core will be cut free to provide approximately 60
mg of sample.
Computer drawing of the original corer device. In the actual design of Beagle 2 it has been incorporated into the paw
A good estimate of the mass is necessary if we are to use specimens
for working out the concentration of various species within
the rocks and for determining their age. The sample to be dropped
into the sample port can be viewed by the cameras to estimate
its size. The typical sample size collected by T.C.'s drill
will allow detection of carbon at sub-parts-per-billion level.
