The surprising reason a Mars rover just started dropping samples

You might think that the object sitting on the dusty barren surface is a lightsaber, if you look closely.

I apologize to Star Wars fans. There is a sealed NASA tube that contains samples collected by the Perseverance rover, a car-size lab on six wheels that has been rumbling over the Martian terrain for nearly two years. The tube was "deposited" by the vehicle on December 21. Two days after that, another was dropped.

The rover is not getting clumsy. The samples will be set down on the ground for future use.

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Perseverance has taken sample pairs from each rock in order to have a backup supply. The sample tubes are kept in its belly. The plan is for the rover to deliver the samples to the lander with a rocket at a later time.

If Perseverance isn't able to make the transfer, the "depot" will be for the backup. Recovery drones would be used to pick up the samples and fly them to a lander.

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In this illustration, a sample recovery helicopter picks up sealed sample tubes on Mars for NASA. Credit: NASA

The general public has been concerned about the safety of the sample that was left behind. It was a thick layer of Martian dust that took out the InSight lander, caking its solar panels so it couldn't absorb rays for power. The end of the mission was announced a few days ago.

The landing site of Perseverance has become notorious for its dust devils. NASA scientists at Caltech say that Mars is not like Earth in terms of wind speed. They are unable to lift and carry objects because of the gusts.

"Not only do we expect the sample tubes not to be covered up, but I'm also very careful documenting exactly where I put them down," said NASA through its Perseverance account on social media. It shouldn't be a problem to go back to them later.

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NASA sent Perseverance to the crater because it is a place where planetary scientists think life may have existed. Water once flowed from a river into a lake in the region. If there were any clues about ancient life forms, the remaining rocks could hold them.

This is the first time that dust and dirt will be brought back to Mars. The European Space Agency is helping NASA pick up the samples. They will return to Earth in the early 2030s.