NASA’s Mars rover, Perseverance collects 'amazing diversity of samples' to be tested on Earth

As reported by BBC, since July 4 NASA’s Perseverance rover has been busy at work collecting samples from Mars’ Jezero Crater. Till now, the total count of scientifically compelling rock samples collected by Perseverance rover is 12.

The latest rock samples collected by the rover are highly promising for scientists on Earth because of the location where the rover was sent. Jezero Crater which contains a delta, is 45 kms wide and is based at the point of convergence of a Martian river and a lake.

Perseverance rover has collected some amazing samples

Perseverance has already finished its first science campaign exploring the crater’s floor and finding igneous rocks. Perseverance’s second science campaign is collecting rock-core samples from an area that has been a promising prospect for scientists for finding life on Mars.

Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for science in Washington, said

We picked the Jezero Crater for Perseverance to explore because we thought it had the best chance of providing scientifically excellent samples – and now we know we sent the rover to the right location.

These first two science campaigns have yielded an amazing diversity of samples to bring back to Earth by the Mars Sample Return campaign.

As per NASA, Perseverance is currently investigating the delta’s sedimentary rocks, which were formed when particles of various sizes settled in the once-watery environment.

Mars Samples Return Campaign

NASA’s already hard at working assembling a campaign in order to make it possible for Earth to bring the sample back so that it could be further analysed and studied.

Mars Samples Return Campaign is a joint collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). The first step towards Mars Sample Return campaign already began when Perseverance cored its first rock sample in September 2021.

The rover collected one atmospheric sample and two witness tubes, and these are stored in the rover’s belly. The tubes would be deposited near the base of the delta, after which the rover would go on to explore more of Mars.

Laurie Leshin, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said that NASA is only weeks away from deploying the rover’s samples and only years away from bringing them back to Earth. She said,

I’ve studied Martian habitability and geology for much of my career and know first-hand the incredible scientific value of returning a carefully collected set of Mars rocks to Earth.

That we are weeks from deploying Perseverance’s fascinating samples and mere years from bringing them to Earth so scientists can study them in exquisite detail is truly phenomenal. We will learn so much.

The goal is to bring the samples back to Earth by 2033.

Sources used:

NASA: NASA’s Perseverance Rover Investigates Geologically Rich Mars Terrain

NASA: NASA Will Inspire World When It Returns Mars Samples to Earth in 2033

BBC: Perseverance: Nasa Mars rover collects 'amazing' rock samples

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