Mars rover hammers down into rock

3 February 2013 Last updated at 11:05 GMT By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent Before and after: Curiosity uses its drill system for the first time The Mars rover Curiosity has used its drill system for the first time.

The robot's tool bit hammered briefly, without rotation, into a flat slab of rock on the floor of Gale Crater, the huge bowl where it landed last August.

Pictures taken before and after the operation reveal the indentation left by the tool's action.

Although previous rovers have scrubbed the surface of rocks, Curiosity is the first to carry the capability to drill inside them.

US space agency (Nasa) engineers are taking a step-by-step approach to the procedure.

They need to check both the rock and the drill are behaving as expected.

If the target slab is deemed suitable, a number of test holes are likely to be drilled - using the rotation as well the percussive action - before a powdered sample is picked up and delivered to Curiosity's onboard laboratories.

The rover's mission is to try to determine whether Gale has ever had the environments in the past that were capable of supporting bacterial life.

Detailing the composition of rocks is critical to this investigation as the deposits in the crater will retain a geochemical record of the conditions under which they formed.

Drilling a few centimetres inside a rock provides a fresh sample that is free from the alteration that can occur at the surface as a result of weathering or radiation damage.

Curiosity landed on the Red Planet on 6 August last year.

It has since driven east of its touchdown point to a location that satellite images had identified as an intersection of three distinct geological terrains.

The robot is currently in a small depression dubbed Yellowknife Bay. The rock selected for the first drilling is a very fine grained sedimentary rock cut through with veins of what appear to be a calcium sulphate.

This rock also has a name - John Klein, taken from a recently deceased Nasa engineer who worked on the rover project.

Scientists are thrilled with the progress of the mission so far. Many of the rocks, like the ones in Yellowknife Bay, show clear evidence of deposition in, or alteration by, water.

Shortly before rolling into the bay, Curiosity identified conglomerations containing small rounded clasts, or pebbles, indicating the past presence of fast running water, most likely in a network of streams.

In this mosaic assembled by Ken Kremer and Marco Di Lorenzo, the rover is seen at the drilling location in Yellowknife Bay

You can see more Curiosity mosaics by Ken Kremer and Marco Di Lorenzo at Ken's website.

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China approves Land Rover deal

18 November 2012 Last updated at 12:39 GMT Jaguar Land Rover's Chinese factory will be its first in the country Jaguar Land Rover is to make vehicles in China for the first time after Beijing approved a £1bn joint venture.

The West Midlands-based luxury carmaker agreed a "milestone" deal with Chery Automobile and will build a plant near Shanghai, which is due to open in 2015.

JLR said any cars produced would be in addition to its existing output, and it had no intention of moving its manufacturing base out of Britain.

Sales of JLR models in China have risen by 80% so far this year.

The company, owned by India's Tata Motors, began talks with Chery months ago, but had been awaiting approval.

A joint statement released by the Chinese and British companies said: "We are delighted to have reached this milestone, achieved thanks to the understanding and foresight of the Chinese authorities and we want to thank them for recognising the potential of our joint venture in the fast-growing Chinese market.

"Together, we will now begin working in close collaboration on our partnership plans to harness the capabilities of our respective companies, to produce relevant, advanced models for Chinese consumers."

JLR has not said officially which model would be built at the factory, although the company has said in the past that is likely to be either the Land Rover Freelander or Evoque.

A research and development facility and engine production plant will also built as part of the venture, with the main manufacturing plant expected to be completed during 2014, with production starting the following year.

With China now a crucial market for JLR, building vehicles in the country means it can avoid import duties.

However, JLR says that being in China will enable it to build vehicles designed specifically for the Chinese market.

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