Pebble Jammed in Rock Abrasion Tool

After the rock abrasion tool on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity stopped working on sol 199 (Aug. 15, 2004), rover operators used the panoramic camera to take this image the next day for help in diagnosing the problem. The tool was closer than the camera could focus on sharply, but the image does show a dark spot just left of center, which engineers have determined is likely to be a pebble jammed between the cutting-blade rotor and the wire-brush rotor. If that diagnosis is confirmed by further analysis, the tool will likely be commanded to turn the rotors in reverse to release the pebble.