The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s newest Mars rover has successfully collected its first rock as the sample. The sample will be brought to Earth after its failed attempt the previous month.
Adam Stelzner, who is the chief engineer of the Perseverance rover tweeted on Thursday, said it was a perfect core sample and he had never been happier to see a hole in a rock. The rover had drilled into much softer rock a month ago but the sample crumbled and didn’t get inside the titanium tube. However, the rover tried again and drove more than a half mile to search for a better sampling spot. Meanwhile, the team members analyzed the data and pictures ahead of declaring it as a success.
In February, the Perseverance rover arrived at Mars Jezero carter in search of rocks that might hold the evidence of ancient life. It is believed to be the home of a lush lakebed and the river delta billions of years ago.
More spacecraft are being planned to launch by NASA to retrieve the samples collected by the Perseverance. The engineers of NASA are hoping to return more than three dozen samples in about a decade.
