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Rover's Arm The rover arm holds and maneuvers the instruments. Much like a human arm, the robotic arm has flexibility through three joints: the rover's shoulder, elbow, and wrist. The arm enables a tool belt of scientist's instruments to extend, bend, and angle precisely against a rock to work as a human geologist would: grinding away layers, taking microscopic images, and analyzing the elemental composition of the rocks and soil. At the end of the arm is a turret, shaped like a cross. This turret, a hand-like structure, holds various tools that can spin through a 350-degree turning range. The four tools, or science instruments, on the robotic arm are: (The following links are not a part of site tour) • The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer • The Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) The forearm also holds a small brush so that the Rock Abrasion Tool can spin against it to brush the teeth of the grinder
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