Nasa's Curiosity Mars rover has finally drilled deep enough into a rock to acquire a powdered sample for analysis.
The fine grey tailings from the 6cm-hole will be sieved and inspected before being delivered to the robot's onboard labs in the coming days.
It will represent a historic first in planetary exploration - never before has the interior of a rock on another world been probed in such a way.
The US space agency said the drilling was an immense achievement.
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