Perseverance Will Soon Try And Drill Another Mars Rock Sample

NASA was rather disappointed recently with the rock sample it attempted to drill out of the surface of Mars with the Perseverance rover failed to be captured. However, NASA ultimately decided it was the rock that resulted in its inability to gather core sample rather than a failure of Perseverance itself.

Recently, NASA confirmed that it is set to attempt to collect another Martian rock sample, and it’s hoping this time the sampling works. The field sampling attempt happened on Friday, August 6. NASA believed it successfully gathered the rock sample until it was discovered there was nothing inside the sample tube.

NASA said the rock was too soft to produce a core sample that can be sealed away. Since the rock was so soft, the drilling efforts only produce power. NASA has worked for two weeks to process data from its first coring attempt to ensure the next attempt works as planned.

Our team has been working hard over the last 12 days to both ensure we have adequately assessed the data from the first coring attempt and also developed a solid plan forward, Trosper wrote. After further review of the engineering and imaging data, our final conclusion is the same as our initial assessment: The rock simply wasnt our kind of rock.

NASA expects to try and collect another sample within the next few weeks. Its target is expected to be a bolder near the rover, with the sampling attempt expected to occur closer to the end of the month.