"It appears that our first rocks show a potentially habitable sustained environmental."
Mission Complete
NASA has confirmed that Perseverance, its Mars-rock-scooping robotic, has finally been able to collect some Mars rocks.
According to NASA press releases, this means that the rover is now conducting some basic geological research about its surroundings. The bulk of the study will take place once the samples and any future ones return to Earth in the next decade. However, Perseverance has already made some significant discoveries, including more evidence that Mars once had a more welcoming landscape than it does now.
Ancient Lake
NASA knew from the beginning that Jezero Crater was once home to a large lake. They didn't know how long the lake lasted. However, new persistence data suggests that water existed for quite a while, suggesting that Mars once had an environment that was stable.
NASA and Caltech scientists Ken Farley, who was part of the Perseverance mission's research team, stated in a release that it appears like our first rocks have revealed a potentially habitable environment. It is significant that water was present for so long.
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Thrilling Saga
This is the long-awaited victory for the rover. It had a difficult time finding and storing Martian regolith. NASA initially declared the mission a success, but NASA soon realized that Perseverance had failed its first attempt. NASA continues to blame Perseverance for this failure.
After sending Perseverance to scoot away towards a new target NASA declared yet again success, claiming Perseverance had actually succeeded in securing and sampling rock samples. However, images of the rock sample were too dark at first to be discernible.
It is a relief to finally see the process work after all this.
READ MORE: NASA's Perseverance Rover Collects Mars History Puzzle Pieces [NASA]
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More on persistence: NASA claims that the Rover has collected Mars rock, but we want to see proof
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