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“I got it!” the space agency wrote on Twitter.
NASA confirmed on Monday that its Perseverance Mars probe successfully collected the first rock sample for scientists to study carefully when it is finally brought back to Earth on future missions.
“I get it!” The space agency posted a photo on Twitter, next to the core of the sample tube, which is slightly thicker than a pencil.
The samples were collected on September 1, but NASA was initially not sure whether the rover successfully captured its precious cargo, because the initial image taken under low-light conditions is unclear.
After taking a new photo so that the mission control center can verify its contents, Perseverance transferred the tube to the inside of the rover for further measurement and imaging, and then sealed the container.
“This is a major achievement, and I can’t wait to see the incredible discoveries made by perseverance and our team,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.
Thomas Zurbuchen, the deputy chief executive in charge of science, likened this achievement to the first rock samples collected from the moon, which is still invaluable to researchers today.
Official news: I have now captured, sealed, and stored the first core sample drilled on another planet, hoping to send the sample back to Earth. This is the first in a unique series of Martian rocks. #SamplingMars
read more: https://t.co/bs4Hd4Fzyw pic.twitter.com/2jwF7cOcMZ
-NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) September 6, 2021
Perseverance’s sampling and buffering system is the most complex mechanism ever sent into space, with more than 3,000 components.
Its first target was a briefcase-sized rock, nicknamed “Rochette” on the ridge. From a geological point of view, it is particularly interesting because it contains ancient exposed bedrock layers.
Perseverance uses a drill bit and a hollow core drill at the end of its 7-foot-long (2-meter-long) robotic arm to extract samples.
After the rock is cored, the mobile station vibrates the drill bit and the drill pipe for one second, divided into five times.
This process is called “knock uptake” and is designed to remove residual material on the lip of the tube and slide the sample down the tube.
Perseverance landed on an ancient lake bed named Jezero Crater in February. The mission was to use a set of precision instruments mounted on its turret to search for signs of ancient microbial life.
It also attempts to better describe the geology and past climate of this red planet.
The first part of the rover science mission will last hundreds of solar or Martian days and will be completed when it returns to the landing site.
By then, it will travel somewhere between 1.6 to 3.1 miles (2.5 to 5 kilometers) and may have been filled with 8 of the 43 sample tubes.
Then it will head to the delta area of ​​Jezero Crater, which may be rich in clay minerals.On the earth, these minerals can preserve fossil signs of ancient microscopic life
Ultimately, NASA hopes to send back samples collected by the rover during a joint mission with the European Space Agency sometime in the 2030s.
Because the rock was too fragile to withstand robot drilling, its first sampling attempt in August failed.
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