NASA thinks Mars rover succeeded in taking rock sample
NASA's Perseverance rover succeeded in its second attempt to scoop up a piece of Martian rock.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - NASA s Perseverance rover succeeded in its second attempt to scoop up a piece of Martian rock for future analysis by scientists on Earth -- probably.
Its first effort earlier this month failed after the rock was too crumbly to withstand the robot s drill, but data received late on September 1 indicates the process worked this time around.
The US space agency said Thursday it remains a little uncertain, because images taken after the rover s arm completed sample acquisition were inconclusive due to poor sunlight conditions.
More images taken under better lighting are expected back by Saturday.
"The team determined a location, and selected and cored a viable and scientifically valuable rock," Jennifer Trosper, project manager at NASA s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, said in a statement.
"We will work through this small hiccup with the lighting conditions in the images and remain encouraged that there is sample in this tube."
The target was a briefcase-sized rock nicknamed "Rochette" from a ridgeline that is half a mile (900 meters) long.
Perseverance, NASA s latest Mars rover, landed on the planet s Jezero crater -- the site on an ancient lake -- in February on a mission to search for signs of ancient microbial life.
Its turret-mounted scientific instruments are able to determine chemical and mineral composition and look for organic matter, as well as better characterize the planet s geological processes.
It uses a drill and a hollow coring bit at the end of its 7-foot-long (2-meter-long) robotic arm to extract samples slightly thicker than a pencil, which it stores under its belly.
NASA plans a mission to bring around 30 samples back to Earth in the 2030s, where scientists will be able to conduct more detailed analysis that might confirm there was microbial life.
