In the past few days, Perseverance dropped a total of 7 metal tubes filled with flag one after another. They represent one of the most ambitious missions in space exploration, as these tubes containing samples of Martian soil await transport to Earth for in-depth analysis.
On January 6, we reported that NASA’s Rover Perseverance had deposited 50% of the samples. In total, the robot is expected to deposit 10 samples on Mars. On January 10th I deposited the sixth sample, and the seventh sample was dropped yesterday January 13th, 2022.
We mentioned in a previous article that the first sample was deposited on December 21, which is a titanium tube containing a rock sample on the surface of the Red Planet. Two days later, I dropped a second tube containing a chunk of sedimentary rock from the edge of the ancient river delta here, the longest rock core the rover has collected so far. The third was dropped on New Year’s Eve, a tube filled with loose sandy material collected from a nearby sand dune. So far this year Perseverance has dropped 4 more samples on Mars, which will add a total of 7 samples.
It reads “70% Deposit Form!” in the rover account. “The rocky core of this tube is a fine-grained siltstone that formed in the former delta of the nearby river. It is the type of rock that might be good for preserving signs of ancient life (if there was life here).”
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70% of the sample warehouse is now complete!The rock core in this tube is of fine-grained shale that formed in the nearby ancient river delta. It’s the kind of rock that would be good for preserving signs of ancient life (if life ever existed here). 🔍 pic.twitter.com/MP64fBkGHr
– NASA Perseverance on Mars (@NASAPersevere) January 13, 2023
These 7 sample tubes are part of 10 that will make up a group of tubes that can be considered for the journey to Earth with the Mars Sample Return Campaign. Later, the vehicle will deposit the ten samples, deposited in the place called “Three Forks”, building the first human sample deposit on another planet.
Why is this important to scientists?
The samples are invaluable to scientists as they seek to study Martian samples using powerful laboratory equipment on Earth, and thus try to identify traces of ancient microbial life and better understand the processes that shaped the Martian surface. If all goes well, in 2033 they could already be in laboratories on Earth. Once the samples reach Earth, they will be studied in depth in laboratories with the goal of answering important questions in astrobiology and space exploration.
In the next few days, the vehicle will deposit a total of 10 tubes in place, called “Three Forks,” to build the first deposit of human samples on another planet. It is a historic moment when a campaign to collect samples from Mars was first launched. In the next decade, planetary scientists will unlock gifts of perseverance that can finally unlock the great mystery of whether life exists on the Red Planet, as well as use what it has learned to make future human missions safer.
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