Curiosity Skips Drilling, Resumes Mount Sharp Trek after Pounding Slippery Rock at Ma

[Fraser]

NASA’s Curiosity rover will skip drilling into a possible 4th rock target and instead resume the trek to Mount Sharp after finding it was unfortunately a slippery rock at the edge of a Martian valley of slippery sands and was therefore too hazardous to proceed with deep drilling and interior sampling for analysis. After pounding […]

More... (http://www.universetoday.com/114040/curiosity-skips-drilling-resumes-mount-sharp-trek-after-pounding-slippery-rock-at-martian-valley-of-slippery-sands/)

[LoneTree1941]

Interesting challenges. I guess a stone block from a wall could trap the rover underneath.
But, maybe too, the drill bit could become locked under a shifting ledge of rock and the rover be stuck unable to move. I wonder if there was any allowance for a stuck bit; for instance can the rover disengage from the drill bit if it does become stuck.