Will their drills penetrate the iron surface?

Less than an hour after landing, at 06:03 UT, an automatic drill penetrated the lunar surface to collect a soil sample.

The drill penetrated 1,522 feet of sediment and 656 feet of volcanic material before reaching the original ocean floor.

The drill penetrated further.

Gas and hot mud started spewing from the well on May 28, when the drill penetrated a layer of liquid sediment.

The researchers think the drill penetrated a pocket of water at the very bottom of the ice sheet.

One grave contained uncrushed human bones so closely packed that the drill could not penetrate.

Even a diamond-tipped drill could not penetrate the machine's shell.' '

Mr. Lundine said that earlier ultrasonic drills did not penetrate deeper than about half an inch.

His body vibrates as the pneumatic drills he wields penetrates the ore.