It could vaporize a rock and identify its minerals from the spectrum of light they emitted, or drill a sample and tease apart its chemical constituents.

NEWYORKER: The Martian Chroniclers

In its Fruta del Norte site a drill core showed a rich 32 troy ounces of gold per ton of rock.

FORBES: Latin Mining Via Toronto

Houston contractor Parker Drilling (nyse: PKD - news - people ) has had its share of woes since building Sunkar, a barge designed to drill in the icy, shallow waters of the Caspian.

FORBES: Power Putsch