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Washington: After two weeks patient waiting since the Mars landing of 'Curosity', for the first time, NASA's Mars rover flexed its 7 feet long robotic arm.

The exercise included checking of motors and joints by unstowing the arm, extending it using all five joints and again stowing it.

"We have had to sit tight for the first two weeks since landing, while other parts of the rover were checked out, so to see the arm extended in these images is a huge moment for us," informed Matt Robinson, a lead engineer for Curiosity's robotic arm.
"The arm is how we are going to get samples into the laboratory instruments and how we place other instruments onto surface targets," he said.

However, a lot of testing and calibrating arm movements will lie ahead before arm will capture its first soil samples and will bring for scientific studies.

The robotic arm includes a camera, a scoop, spectrometer tools for portioning soil and powdered rock samples. The arm has a mass of about 66 pounds and is two feet in diameter. Its arm is much bigger. The older one had two and half foot long arms while it is seven ft long.

It also completed another important test of testing laser by blasting a small Martian rock and its make up analyzing. The rove is going to undertake another test which will have Curosity move and forth on landing site.

After successful completion of its drive ability, scientists will take it to Glenelg marks intersection of three different kinds of terrain. The trip will take place in three to four weeks time.

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