Perseverance Mars Rover, the second charm.
NASA confirmed Monday that Perseverance had successfully stored and collected its first Martian rock sample during exploration of Artuby. This was after a disappointing attempt in August. A half-mile (900m) of the ridgeline lies near an area thought to contain Jezero Craters' deepest and oldest layers of bedrock.
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Last Wednesday was the first day of collecting the rock sample, which is slightly thicker than a pencil. Perseverance used its rotary-percussive drilling tool at the robotic arm's end to core a flat Martian rock. NASA called it Rochette. It was roughly the shape of a briefcase.
Perseverance took a photograph of the contents of tubenumber 266, which was unsealed, after it had finished coring. This was so NASA could confirm that it had indeed collected the rock. The mission controllers confirmed that the rock was indeed Martian and gave instructions to the rover for processing it.
The process included imaging and measuring the rock core and sealing the tube with hermetically sealant. Another photo was taken of the sealed tube and finally, storing it.
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Ken Farley, Perseverance project scientist, stated in a news release that it was a significant milestone to obtain the first Martian rock sample.
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Farley stated that these samples will tell us a lot about the early chapters of Mars' evolution when they return to Earth. However, the contents of sample tube 266, no matter how fascinating they may be geologically, won't tell the whole story. We still have much to discover in Jezero Crater, and will continue our explorations over the coming months and years.
NASA is still looking for more Martian rock samples. It has already taken over 30 sample tubes to Mars. The mission could last hundreds of Martian day. NASA and the European Space Agency are working together on future missions to bring Perseverances sample back to Earth.
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If both space agencies succeed, these samples will be the first to arrive on our planet from another agency.
After Perseverance has completed the first leg, it will move to Jezero Craters Delta region. This area includes the fan-shaped remains that once belonged to the site where an ancient river and a lake in the crater. NASA believes the area could be rich in clay minerals. These minerals could preserve fossilized signs from microscopic life, based on what we know about Earth.
