NASA’s Mars Perseverance Deposits First Rock Sample For Future Testing Back On Earth

NASAs Perseverance Mars rover has deposited its first sample tube at a location that will become a “sample depot” for a future return to Earth. The sample depot is at a place called “Three Forks,” and will hold duplicate samples in case Perseverance cant deliver the samples it holds in its belly to a future robotic lander. In that case, a pair of Sample Recovery Helicopters will collect the samples at Three Forks, NASA said. After the rover dropped its first sample, a core of igneous rock collected on Jan. 31, 2022, in a region of Jezero Crater called “South Séítah,” it had to snap photos. Engineers at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory repositioned Perseverances Watson camera, which sits at the end of a 7-foot arm, to confirm the tubes position. Photos show the tube on the ground, lying on its side as it should be, and clear of the rovers wheels. If the tube had landed on its end, which engineers say happened about 5% of the time during testing, Perseverance would have had to carefully knock it over. “Seeing our first sample on the ground is a great capstone to our prime mission period, which ends on Jan. 6,” said Rick Welch, Perseverances deputy project manager at JPL. “Its a nice alignment that, just as were starting our cache, were also closing this first chapter of the mission.” The Mars Sample Return Mission is planned to begin in 2027 with an orbiter launch, followed by a lander launch in 2028. The samples are expected to arrive back on Earth in 2033, NASA said.