Exploratory robots are about to launch lasers on Mars

The Mars explorer robot's device will begin to operate in the next few hours and its first target is a stone.

Curiosity, the name of the robot that explores Mars, lands on the red planet on August 5. Since then, the technical experts of the US Aerospace Agency (NASA) have only tested its operability.

Illustrations of Curiosity's laser discharge device.

Yesterday NASA announced that Curiosity will begin analyzing geology on Mars with a laser and its first goal is a rock near its current location. The laser device will drill a hole in the stone tonight in US time (morning time in Hanoi time), the AP reported.

The laser ejection device is one of 10 tools that Curiosity will use to find evidence of the existence of bacteria on Mars.

In the following week NASA engineers will control Curiosity to perform the first movement, including moving up to about 3 meters, turning 90 degrees and backing. Then the robot will move about 400m to the east to explore an area with many types of terrain. It will study that area for about a month.

Curiosity's main task is to explore the central mountain range in the Gale hole for two years. This mountain range is higher than 5km. It will climb the mountains to study the rocks dating back several billion years before the end of the year.