Perseverance gets its robotic hand on a sample that’s out of this world

Earth receives its first piece of mars after NASA’s rover successfully drills a hole into brief-case-sized rock “Rochette”.

NASA’s Perseverance Rover gets its first taste of mars, after collecting a sample of Martian rock from the core of Jezero Crater yesterday.

The sample which is slightly thicker than a pencil was detected after controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California received data from the space-age device.

Now enclosed in a titanium sample tube, NASA is working with the European Space Agency to return the sample back to earth for further studies in what will be a world first.

Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator says the discovery comes as a win for the agency.

“NASA has a history of setting ambitious goals and then accomplishing them, reflecting our nation’s commitment to discovery and innovation,” Nelson says.

“This is a momentous achievement and I can’t wait to see the incredible discoveries produced by Perseverance and our team.”

Breaking down the process

The process to obtain the sample is nothing short of out of this world.

The Martian rock was obtained after Perseverance’s robotic arm drilled into “brief-case-sized rock” coined “Rochette”, with mission controllers watching the process through a camera.

A series of photos were also taken before the sample was safely tucked away in the rover’s cargo.

Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington, says this moment is truly historic for NASA.

“Just as the Apollo Moon missions demonstrated the enduring scientific value of returning samples…we will be doing the same with the samples Perseverance collects as part of our Mars Sample Return program,” Zurbuchen says.

“Using the most sophisticated science instruments on Earth, we expect jaw-dropping discoveries across a broad set of science areas, including exploration into the question of whether life once existed on Mars.”

Perseverance’s key mission is to study astrobiology on mars, particularly looking for signs of life.

The planet’s climate, geology and past climate will also be assessed as NASA paves the way for human exploration on the Red Planet.

For further updates

NASA will hold a virtual meeting addressing the media on Friday to provide an update on the rover’s process and sampling procedures.

The event will be livestreamed on NASA Television, the NASA app, the agency’s website, and multiple agency social media platforms.

Written by Rebecca Borg