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美国宇航局好奇号火星车近日在夏普山区域完成了其任务生涯的第 49 次钻探，新钻孔被命名为“Nazca”。此次钻探的特别之处在于，目标岩块中含有丰富的盘状包裹体，研究团队推测其可能为晶体结构。若得到证实，这些“晶体”将成为解读火星古代环境条件的重要线索，这也正是团队重返该区域开展钻探作业的核心动因。截至本次作业，好奇号已在火星表面连续工作超过 5000 个火星日，持续刷新着火星车的服役纪录。
严苛的钻探前置验证
在火星上钻探岩石并非易事。按照任务规程，好奇号在伸展机械臂之前必须通过稳定性测试，确保所有车轮都稳固停放在坚实地面之上。随后还要进行预加载测试，评估岩石本身的稳定性以及钻头压入岩石时机械臂所承受的力。两项测试全部通过后，钻探作业才正式启动。这一系列谨慎的流程设计，源于对机械臂这一不可维修关键部件的保护考量，毕竟在数亿公里之外，任何硬件故障都没有维修选项。
本次钻探活动遵循了完整的科学分析链条。钻探前，团队已使用 APXS（阿尔法粒子 X 射线光谱仪）、MAHLI（火星手持透镜成像仪）和 ChemCam（化学与相机综合设备）对目标岩块进行了多角度勘察。钻探完成后，样本被送入 CheMin（化学与矿物学分析仪）进行矿物成分分析。目前分析数据正在从火星传回地球的途中，研究团队预计将在周末接收到这批备受期待的结果。
【关键数据】
- 钻探样本编号: 第 49 个，命名“Nazca”
- 拍摄时间: Sol 5050（2026-10-20 23:56:20 UTC）
- 服役时长: 超过 5000 个火星日
- 参与载荷: APXS、MAHLI、ChemCam、CheMin
- 远程成像目标: Mishe Mokwa 与 Cordillera 两处丘体
不止于钻孔：多样化的周边科学观测
围绕钻探活动，ChemCam 本周的观测安排相当紧凑。团队对钻孔抛出的岩屑同时开展了被动光谱和主动 LIBS（激光诱导击穿光谱）测量，并对钻孔内壁进行了 LIBS 剖面分析，以获取岩石内部未受表面风化影响的成分信息。此外，一块名为“Palpala”的深色砾石也成为观测对象。团队此前已注意到这类砾石并非成分一致，为厘清其成因，凡尺寸足够、机械臂可及的砾石都会被纳入测量计划，因为过小的砾石在激光轰击时可能发生位移，影响数据质量。
另一项值得关注的是对“Llama”目标的深度剖面测量，这是为了验证此前的深度剖面观察结果在不同地点是否具有一致性，还是存在空间上的变化。而“Pacaya”目标的测量则再次聚焦于最初吸引团队重返此地的盘状结构。ChemCam 还安排了多组长距离远程显微成像（RMI），拍摄对象是长期吸引团队关注的两处丘体：Mishe Mokwa 和 Cordillera。这两处地貌暴露出多样的沉积构造与纹理，对重建盖尔陨石坑的古代水环境演化历史具有重要价值。
科学价值：盘状晶体背后的环境密码
从行星矿物学的视角看，如果 Nazca 样本中的盘状包裹体确认为晶体，其矿物种类、晶形和生长特征将直接约束岩石形成时的水化学条件、温度范围乃至蒸发历史。与地球上的类比样品对照后，这些信息有望为“火星是否曾长期存在适宜生命的环境”这一核心科学问题提供新的实证支撑。CheMin 的矿物学分析结果将是判断的关键一环，这也是团队对周末数据传回充满期待的原因。随着好奇号继续向夏普山高处攀爬，每一份新样本都在为火星的古代环境档案补上关键一页。
出处：Curiosity Blog, Sols 5050-5055: It’s Nazca, Our 49th Drill Hole
英文原文Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio Mosaics More Resources Mars Missions Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions Mars Home 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 5050-5055: It’s Nazca, Our 49th Drill Hole This image of the Nazca drill hole was taken by Mast Camera (Mastcam) onboard NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity on Sol 5050 (2026-10-20 23:56:20 UTC). NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Written by Susanne P. Schwenzer, Professor of Planetary Mineralogy at The Open University, UK Earth planning date: Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 As regular readers of this blog will know, we returned to the area where we found disc shaped inclusions in the rocks, which we interpreted as potential crystals. If they are indeed crystals, and we compare them to Earth, they could be very interesting indicators of the environmental conditions. Hence, the excitement in the team is high that we found a good block to drill. Good means first and foremost that it contains abundant potential crystals, but of course there is more before we drill. We passed the rover’s stability test, as all wheels have to be on solid ground before we extend the arm. Then we passed the preload test, which tests the stability of the rock and the forces the arm experiences when the drill bit presses into the rock. With all those tests passed, we successfully drilled our 49th drill hole, called “Nazca.” The drill campaign comes with many investigations before and after the drilling itself. Before the drill, we investigated the block with APXS, MAHLI and ChemCam – all on the target Nazca. After drilling, the sample was dropped off to CheMin, with the results still making their way from Mars to Earth. They are eagerly anticipated to reach us over the coming weekend. ChemCam obtained both passive spectral and active LIBS of the tailings and a LIBS measurement down the drill hole wall. Other ChemCam activities this week included a LIBS investigation of “Palpala,” which is a dark pebble. We are on the lookout for those pebbles for a while and find that not all of them have the same composition. To make sure we understand their origin, we are measuring them when there are some in reach that are big enough. If a pebble is too small, it can move when it is being hit by the laser. Hence, we need to look out for some that are big enough. Another such pebble was the target “Puna” identified in Friday’s planning. ChemCam LIBS on the target “Llama” is to get another depth profile to check whether our observations in the first such depth profile are consistently observed or whether they vary between locations. The target “Pacaya” is another measurement of the disc shaped forms that drew us back to this region. In addition to the LIBS measurements, ChemCam has several long distance RMIs in the plan. They are all focused on the two buttes that have drawn a long-standing interest of the team for the various sedimentary structures and textures they reveal: Mishe Mokwa and Cordillera. Want to read more posts from the Curiosity team? Visit Mission Updates Want to learn more about Curiosity’s science instruments? Visit the Science Instruments page NASA’s Curiosity rover at the base of Mount Sharp NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS Share Details Last Updated Nov 09, 2026 Related Terms Blogs Explore More 3 min read Curiosity Blog, Sols 5056-5062: Charging Back Up! Article 32 minutes ago 2 min read Rubies on Mars? Article 3 hours ago 2 min read Newest Sample, Oldest Rock? Article 3 hours ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited… All Mars Resources Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,… Rover Basics Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…
