WASHINGTON, DC — NASA's Perseverance rover succeeded in its second
attempt to scoop up a piece of Martian rock for future analysis by scientists
on Earth — probably.
اضافة اعلان
Its first effort last month (August 5) failed after the rock was too crumbly
to withstand the robot's drill, but data received late on September 1 indicates
the process worked this time around.
The US space agency said Thursday it remains a little uncertain, because
images taken after the
rover's arm completed sample acquisition were
inconclusive due to poor sunlight conditions.
More images taken under better lighting are expected back by Saturday.
"The team determined a location, and selected and cored a viable and
scientifically valuable rock," Jennifer Trosper, project manager at NASA's
Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, said in a statement.
"We will work through this small hiccup with the lighting conditions in
the images and remain encouraged that there is sample in this tube."
The target was a briefcase-sized rock nicknamed "Rochette" from a
ridgeline that is 900m long.
Perseverance,
NASA's latest Mars rover, landed on the planet's Jezero crater
— the site on an ancient lake — in February on a mission to search for signs of
ancient microbial life.
Its turret-mounted scientific instruments are able to determine chemical and
mineral composition and look for organic matter, as well as better characterize
the planet's geological processes.
It uses a drill and a hollow coring bit at the end of its 2-meter-long
robotic arm to extract samples slightly thicker than a pencil, which it stores
under its belly.
NASA plans a mission to bring around 30 samples back to Earth in the 2030s,
where scientists will be able to conduct more detailed analysis that might
confirm there was microbial life.
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