UNITED STATES: In the coming days, NASA’s Perseverance rover is expected to build the first sample depot on another world. According to NASA, this will be a significant turning point in the NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return effort, which aims to transfer samples from Mars to Earth for further research.
The American space agency explained that the process of creating a depot begins when the rover discharges one of its titanium sample tubes containing a chalk-size core of rock from its belly 2.9 feet (88.8 centimetres) into the ground at a location inside Jezero Crater, known as “Three Forks.”
Ten tubes carrying samples representing the geological record variety will be dropped by Perseverance in Jezero Crater over the course of around 30 days.
Additionally, the American space agency shares a photo on social media. The picture depicts a field view of a sandy landscape with boulders of varying sizes scattered throughout in shades of grey and brown.
Near the lower right corner of the photograph, the rover’s tracks may be seen. The far slopes of Martian highlands can be seen above a white sky.
NASA stated the primary goal of the Perseverance’s mission on Mars in the caption, “The goal of the mission is astrobiology, which includes preserving samples that could have once supported microbial life”.
“In addition to being the first mission to gather and store Martian rock and regolith, the rover will assess the planet’s geology and previous climate, opening the door for human exploration of the Red Planet”, it added.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is a component of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration strategy, which also includes Artemis lunar missions that will aid in preparing for Martian human exploration.
The Perseverance rover was created and is operated by JPL, which Caltech administers for NASA.
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