NASA's Curiosity rover has drilled a hole in a Martian rock with the intention of taking a powdered sample for its onboard laboratories to study, according to reports.
It is nearly 12 months since the power tool was last deployed for the purpose, the BBC reported.
Pictures downlinked from the planet on Tuesday revealed a neat hole had been hammered in a rock dubbed "Windjana".
It is hoped this sandstone can yield insights on the geochemical processes that have helped shape the landscape at the bottom of Mars' Gale Crater.
The sample acquisition manoeuvre comes a week after the rover drilled a small test hole in the same rock slab.
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