Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its Mast Camera to capture detailed images of a rock called "Atacama" on May 6, 2026, the 4,877th Martian day of its mission. The rock had become stuck on the tip of Curiosity’s robotic arm drill on April 25, 2026.
Engineers spent several days attempting to free the rock by repositioning the arm and using vibrations on the drill. The rock was successfully detached on May 1, 2026. Atacama is estimated to be about 1.5 feet in diameter at its base, 6 inches thick, and would weigh approximately 28.6 pounds (13 kilograms) on Earth—about one-third of that weight on Mars. The circular hole created by the rover’s drill is visible on the rock’s surface.
The released image from the Mast Camera is a mosaic composed of eight stitched images, with colors white-balanced to simulate Earth daylight. Curiosity was built and is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate as part of the Mars Exploration Program. The Mast Camera was built and is operated by Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego.