By — Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/nasas-newest-mars-rover-snags-1st-rock-sample-for-return Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter NASA’s newest Mars rover snags 1st rock sample for return Science Sep 2, 2021 4:09 PM EDT CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s newest Mars rover has successfully collected its first rock sample for return to Earth, after last month’s attempt came up empty. The Perseverance rover’s chief engineer, Adam Steltzner, called it a perfect core sample. “I’ve never been more happy to see a hole in a rock,” he tweeted Thursday. A month ago, Perseverance drilled into much softer rock, and the sample crumbled and didn’t get inside the titanium tube. The rover drove a half-mile to a better sampling spot to try again. Team members analyzed data and pictures before declaring success. Perseverance arrived in February at Mars’ Jezero Crater — believed to be the home of a lush lakebed and river delta billions of years ago — in search of rocks that might hold evidence of ancient life. NASA plans to launch more spacecraft to retrieve the samples collected by Perseverance; engineers are hoping to return as many as three dozen samples in about a decade. “Be patient, little sample, your journey is about to begin,” Steltzner said. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Marcia Dunn, Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s newest Mars rover has successfully collected its first rock sample for return to Earth, after last month’s attempt came up empty. The Perseverance rover’s chief engineer, Adam Steltzner, called it a perfect core sample. “I’ve never been more happy to see a hole in a rock,” he tweeted Thursday. A month ago, Perseverance drilled into much softer rock, and the sample crumbled and didn’t get inside the titanium tube. The rover drove a half-mile to a better sampling spot to try again. Team members analyzed data and pictures before declaring success. Perseverance arrived in February at Mars’ Jezero Crater — believed to be the home of a lush lakebed and river delta billions of years ago — in search of rocks that might hold evidence of ancient life. NASA plans to launch more spacecraft to retrieve the samples collected by Perseverance; engineers are hoping to return as many as three dozen samples in about a decade. “Be patient, little sample, your journey is about to begin,” Steltzner said. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now