NASA Perseverance rover grabs first Mars sample that could be sent back to Earth

NASA’s Perseverance rover, currently rolling around a dried out lakebed on the surface of Mars, has accomplished the primary, crucial step in a decade-long mission to return items of Mars to Earth. On the one hundred and ninetieth day of its mission “Percy,” because the rover is affectionately recognized, overcame earlier sampling problems and snatched a pencil-thin core of rock from Mars’ floor.

On Sept. 1, the area company introduced information had arrived from the Mars rover indicating it had successfully obtained a core from a briefcase-sized rock however the group needed to be “additional sure” that was the case. That additional certainty would require taking pictures of the drill system with one in all Percy’s cameras.

The primary photos beamed again to Earth appeared to point out rock had been efficiently snatched. Nevertheless, after an operation to vibrate the drill bit, a second spherical of photos had been taken. The solar, nonetheless, was not taking part in properly with Percy. The lighting circumstances had been too poor to verify precisely what was within the tube — and the group needed to be doubly positive.

On Saturday, they obtained their want.

Adam Steltzner, NASA chief engineer on the mission, tweeted his congratulations on Sunday. “We obtained it,” he wrote.

The early photos present a rust-red sediment that may very well be iron-rich minerals, in keeping with Steven Ruff, a planetary geologist at Arizona State College and creator of YouTube channel Mars Guy. Percy’s touchdown web site in Jezero Crater was as soon as house to a fantastic physique of water and its two sampling makes an attempt are already revealing a few of the geologic historical past of Mars. “Each of these rock targets that they’ve interrogated look completely different than actually something that we have seen anyplace else on Mars,” Ruff says.

The profitable assortment is a component 1 of essentially the most elaborate and sophisticated mail run of all time.

Getting the Martian rock core within the sampling tube is like putting a letter in an envelope. The subsequent step is for Perseverance to course of, seal and stamp that envelope and get it able to ship. Perseverance has 43 of those envelopes and may gather dozens of various rock samples.

Percy intends to depart its tube-letters scattered throughout the floor of Mars for a mail service to gather at a later date. The important thing subject right here is: The mail service hasn’t even been constructed but.

NASA and the European Area Company plan to ship a Martian lander and pattern assortment rover to the floor of Mars in 2026. The rover (our mail service on this prolonged metaphor) will roll out, collect up Percy’s tubes and place them in its mailvan — a rocket sure for Earth. Someday in early 2030, Percy’s mail will lastly attain its supposed recipient, offered all the things goes in keeping with plan.