Why These 10 Samples Collected By NASA’s Perseverance Rover On Mars Are So Vital

All of that is in support of bringing these samples of Mars rock and dirt again to Earth — however first, these samples must be drilled and picked up. That is a part of the job of the Perseverance rover, which is presently amassing samples because it explores an space of Mars known as the Jezero crater. As soon as the group engaged on the rover has chosen an attention-grabbing goal they need to pattern, they use the rover’s drill to bore into the rock and produce up rock matter. Then the rover collects this pattern and seals it in a particular air-tight tube to guard it, as detailed by NASA. These samples can then be left on the Martian floor, able to be collected and finally introduced again to Earth.

The samples cannot simply be left mendacity round wherever although. The NASA group must know precisely the place every pattern is so as to have the ability to retrieve it sooner or later, and the samples additionally should be left in a flat, accessible space in order that future helicopters will be capable to entry them safely. So Perseverance has been working to place collectively a “pattern depot” the place 10 of the samples it has collected up to now could be saved. Every pattern is close to sufficient to the others to be simply accessible, however not so shut that the places might get blended up. As of December 2022, the rover has fastidiously positioned the ten tubes specifically places prepared for his or her eventual assortment. With the depot now prepared, we’re one step nearer to having samples from one other planet introduced again to Earth for examine.