Broken instrument UPDATED

Dear readers, we might have a problem. According to this BBC news piece, MSL Curiosity has suffered its first broken instrument. Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (Rems), an instrument from Spain supposed to measure atmospheric conditions including ambient pressure, temperature, water vapour and so on has suffered damage which according to the mission's engineers may have been a result of the gravel that was thrown up during landing. If this is so then that must have been one heck of an impact because now the instrument readouts indicate exposed and/or severed wires leading out of the finger-like probes

The finger-like projections on the mast are part of REM (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

The damage will make it difficult to take wind speed and direction readings from a particular direction. I haven't a thought about how this instrument works but the ever-clever engineers say that it shouldn't be impossible to derive data and partially overcome this 'isolated disappointment'.

In other news, the rover has successfully unstowed and stowed its 2.1m robotic arm. That was on sol 14 I think and there are good pictures to show what it looked like below.

Arm deployed. You can see the instruments on the end of the arm and the drill pointed in our direction. (NASA/JPL-Caltech. Mosaic by Abraham Samma)

A twirl of the rear right wheel shows that the mobility system is okay. NASA says they will make a 1m or so drive forward followed by a 90 degree turn in place and then a reverse move. After that I suppose they will be off! It's going to be awesome!

UPDATE: I almost forgot to include this great link to the graphics shown at the recent NASA press briefing on the mission. Lots of good eye candy. Enjoy!