NASA’s Perseverance rover has collected all the necessary samples of Red Planet rock that may contain evidence of ancient life. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to learn more about them until 2033, when the samples will probably be in the hands of researchers.
Perseverance began depositing titanium tubes containing elements of Martian dust and rock 6 weeks ago, and recently dropped the last of 10 in total, completing the creation of “the first sample repository on another planet.”
And that’s ?!
Since the end of the tube drop, I’ve made a diverse backup of the set of pictures I’m setting down. Future #MarsSampleReturn robots I can somehow for this, or if all goes well, I’ll halo lots more fascinating stuff in hand when they get here.
More: pic.twitter.com/6oKs2wmm9m
— NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASPersevere) January 30, 2023
Perseverance entered Mars in February 2021, landing in the crater Lake, about 49 kilometers in diameter, with the goal of searching for signs of ancient microbial life on the planet and collecting samples of the Martian environment. Scientists believe that billions of years ago there was a river in the crater that flowed into a large lake, which provided the necessary environment for the life of ancient microbes.
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The rover is currently carrying 17 samples that can be delivered to the module for return to Earth for further study. Their duplicates of Perseverance in case of unforeseen situations are additionally left in a special storage located in the Three Forks region.
The location of the tubes is carefully mapped so that even if the samples are covered by Martian dust, they can be found and picked up by two space helicopters.
Despite the backup plan, Perseverance is reportedly still in good condition and is now exploring the area around Delta Top. The mission will last about eight months and will study rocks and sediments that were likely carried by an ancient river into the crater.
Last year, the US Department of Defense contractor Lockheed Martin was tasked with building the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) rocket, which will take off with rock samples from Mars. It may become the first rocket launched by Earth’s inhabitants from another planet. The European Space Agency, in turn, is building a spacecraft that will deliver a precious cargo for research to Earth.
The Mars Sample Return mission is visualized in detail in this video:
Now NASA estimates that the lander will arrive on Mars by 2028, and the collected samples will “reach” Earth no earlier than 2033.
The Perseverance microphone picked up the sounds of a “dust devil” on Mars. You can already listen to them on YouTube
Source: NASA, The Verge
