After several months on the surface of Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover has just successfully completed the collection of a sample that will be remembered in the history of space exploration, as it is the first fragment of Martian rock collected and stored to be sent to Earth in the future Mars Sample Return campaign (NASA and ESA). These samples would be the first set of selected and scientifically identified materials returned to Earth from another planet.
As reported by NASA in a statement, the sampling process began on Wednesday, September 1, when the rotary hammer drill on Perseverance’s robotic arm extracted a core from the Jezero crater . And, in addition to identifying and collecting rock and regolith samples while looking for signs of ancient microscopic life, another objective of the mission is to study the Jezero area to understand its geology, the ancient habitability of the area and characterize the climate. From the past.
Sample 266
The rock core is currently stored in an airtight titanium sample tube with serial number 266. “This is a historic moment,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. . “Just as the Apollo missions demonstrated the scientific value of returning samples from other worlds for analysis here on our planet, we will do the same with the samples that Perseverance collects as part of our Mars Sample Return program . Using the most sophisticated scientific instruments on Earth, we expect astonishing discoveries in a wide range of scientific areas, including answering the great question of whether life ever existed on Mars. “
After sealing and taking pictures, Perseverance transferred the tube with the valuable sample into the rover. Now, the exploration mission of this fascinating area of the red planet continues, as the rover is located in the rocky outcrops of Artuby, a ridge of almost a kilometer that borders two geological units that, according to the scientists, may contain the layers the deepest and oldest exposed bedrock of Jezero Crater.
“Getting the first sample under our belt is a huge milestone,” explained Perseverance Project scientist Ken Farley of Caltech. “When we return to Earth with these samples, they will tell us a lot about some of the early chapters in the evolution of Mars. But as intriguing as the contents of sample tube 266 are geologically, they won’t tell the full story of this place. There is much Jezero Crater to explore, and we will continue our journey for months and years to come. “
The rover’s initial scientific foray, spanning hundreds of suns (Martian days), will be complete when Perseverance returns to its landing site. At that point, Perseverance will have traveled between 2.5 and 5 kilometers and may have filled up to eight of its 43 sample tubes.
After that, Perseverance will travel north and then west, towards the location of his second science campaign: the Jezero Crater Delta region. The delta is the fan-shaped remains of the place where an ancient river met a lake within the crater. This region could be especially rich in clay minerals which, on Earth, can preserve fossilized signs of ancient microscopic life and are often associated with biological processes , so the analysis of these types of samples can help us answer many questions about the past of our neighboring planet.
