Newest Sample, Oldest Rock?
While Singita is the newest sample, it may be among the oldest rocks in Perseverance’s collection.
- Many attributes of a… Mars Exploration: Science Goals The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four… Mars Perseverance Rover The Mars Perseverance rover is the first leg the Mars Sample Return Campaign’s interplanetary relay team.
- Textures in the rock suggest that it likely formed deep in the crust and was modified and excavated by at least one, and possibly multiple, large impact events.
- In search of a new local gabbroic candidate to sample, Perseverance traveled about 100 meters (330 feet) to a different patch of light-toned rocks.
However, the team felt strongly that it was worth the effort to add a gabbro, an igneous rock made mostly of calcium-rich plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene crystals, to Perseverance’s sample collection.
NASA/JPL-Caltech To improve the odds of collecting a sample this time, the team made prudent decisions: choosing a neighboring rock with a flatter surface better oriented for the drill stabilizers to press against, and using a coring bit with less wear.
- At last, in a display of the rover’s namesake quality, the drill made it about 3.1 centimeters (1.2 inches) into the rock.
- Explore This Section Perseverance Home Mission Overview Rover Components Mars Rock Samples Where is Perseverance?
- Perseverance has now completed its 66 th successful abrasion and collected an intriguing new sample alongside it.
- Sample acquisition activities followed, making “Singita” the rover’s first sample in more than a year.
- As previously reported, that rock had a hardness too high to core.
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