NASA's Perseverance rover has taken the 1st steps in decades-long dream of Mars sample return

[Judi Lynn]

By Meghan Bartels about 7 hours ago

Perseverance's Mars rock samples may even hide salt crystal time capsules.



An image taken by the Perseverance rover on Mars shows a rock called Rochette with holes where the rover obtained its first two samples. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars has begun its out-of-this-world rock collection.

The rover, which is designed to search for signs of ancient life on Mars and to package up material for a future sample-return mission, made its first two successful sampling maneuvers on Monday and Wednesday (Sept. 6 and Sept. 8). NASA scientists describing the collection said they're thrilled with what they know so far about the two rock cores.

"This is a truly historic achievement, the very first rock cores collected on another terrestrial planet — it's amazing," Meenakshi Wadhwa, Mars sample return principal scientist, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California and Arizona State University, said during a news conference held Friday (Sept. 10).

An image taken by the Perseverance rover on Mars shows a rock called Rochette with holes where the rover obtained its first two samples. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars has begun its out-of-this-world rock collection.

The rover, which is designed to search for signs of ancient life on Mars and to package up material for a future sample-return mission, made its first two successful sampling maneuvers on Monday and Wednesday (Sept. 6 and Sept. 8). NASA scientists describing the collection said they're thrilled with what they know so far about the two rock cores.

"This is a truly historic achievement, the very first rock cores collected on another terrestrial planet — it's amazing," Meenakshi Wadhwa, Mars sample return principal scientist, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California and Arizona State University, said during a news conference held Friday (Sept. 10).

More:
https://www.space.com/perseverance-mars-rover-first-two-samples?utm_source=notification

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. Very cool! P.S. same text is duped in this post ;) nt

[krispos42]

2. My company made key componets of the drilling system...

...INCLUDING the sample tubes themselves!


I am SO glad they work!!!

(They were a giant pain in the ass to make!)