For the first time, NASA's Curiosity rover has used its on-board drill to collect a sample of Martian bedrock that might offer evidence of a wet environment which may have once hosted life on the red planet.        

This is the first time any robot has drilled into a rock to collect a sample on Mars, the US space agency said. The fresh hole, about 0.63 inch wide and 2.5 inches deep in a patch of fine-grained sedimentary bedrock, can be seen in latest images and other data Curiosity beamed to Earth.        

The rock is believed to hold evidence about long-gone wet environments. In pursuit of that evidence, the rover will use its laboratory instruments to analyse rock powder collected by the drill.        

"This is the biggest milestone accomplishment for the Curiosity team since the sky-crane landing last August, another proud day for America," said John Grunsfeld, NASA associate administrator for Science Mission Directorate.