The rover failed its first attempt to collect a rock sample on Mars

Posted:

7 before 2021 13:15 GMT

According to NASA specialists, the sample may not have been obtained because the rocks did not react in the way expected during the extraction process.

NASA’s persistent space exploration rover fails its first attempt to extract a rock sample from Mars and seal it in a collection tube, mentioned US space agency on August 7.

Jennifer Trosper, rover project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, noted that the material may not have been obtained because the rocks did not react as expected during the extraction process. The specialist suspects the possible failure of the system.

The evidence-gathering system in the Perseverance consisted of a two-meter robotic arm, with various devices, including a drill. Based on the telemetry data from the instrument, during operation, the auger and sample tube were operated as intended.

Equipped with a total of 43 samples of titanium tubes, the space exploration rover is exploring areas of Jezero crater, where it will collect traces of rocks and regolith (fragments of rock, metal, and dust from the surface) from Mars for further analysis. on the earth.

The probe was launched on July 30, 2020 and landed on the Red Planet in February 2021. It is the first mission to collect rocks and regolith on Mars and one of its goals lies in astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. This will help characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, as well as begin human exploration.