NASA Uncovers Truth Behind Missing Martian Rock Sample
Image via NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS
Last week, NASA’s Perseverance rover attempted to collect its first-ever rock sample from Mars. However, when the rover later checked for the sample inside the collection tube, it was empty.
Now, the space agency has finally solved the mystery of the disappearing rock. According to CNET, the rover had drilled into a rock in Jezero Crater, an ancient lakebed on the Martian surface. Everything was going as planned, and the sample was anticipated to be the first bit of rock collected by the rover to return to Earth at a later date.
After finding the collection tube empty, scientists at NASA assessed the drill site further. “It appears that the rock was not robust enough to produce a core,” said Louise Jandura, Chief Engineer for Sampling and Catching, providing an end to the cosmic mystery.
Some of the images seen by the scientists show a powdery rock around the drill hole, which could suggest that the rock had crumbled while it was being collected.
“The material from the desired core is likely either in the bottom of the hole, in the cuttings pile, or some combination of both,” Jandura explained.
Though it was a setback for NASA, the rover has 43 sample tubes with it, so it can head to another location to try again. This time, the team hopes to find a more “sampling-friendly” rock that can actually be collected.
[via CNET, cover image via NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS]
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