Piezo actuators to vibrate the sand of Mars !

The NASA Goddart Space Flight Center (GSFC) just starts to publish the details of the next rover to be sent on Mars end of 2009:

CEDRAT TECHNOLOGIES has delivered the flight units (Amplified Piezo Actuators already qualified under French Space Agency (CNES) contracts) to GSFC by Mid 2007.

The SAM instrument is now ready for flight and is being delivered to NASA/JPL by Mid 2008.

The purpose of the piezoelectric actuator is to vibrate the Solid Sample Inlet Tube, between each analysis to clean it.

To know more : http://ael.gsfc.nasa.gov/marsReferences.shtml

See press release…