The Perseverance rover has taken its first sample from the Jezero delta on Mars.
NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover has taken its first sample from the Jezero delta!
Since arriving at the delta, “Percy” has been observing and abrading varied rocks to examine whether or no longer they are a true candidate for our first core sample in this place. It wasn’t a straightforward commence, because the principle few rocks that were assessed either fractured too without concerns or had surfaces that were too rough to safely place the drill. What the group fundamental used to be a rock that met the next requirements:
scientifically inspiring,a manageable quantity of surface topography,gigantic ample to fit an abrasion and two cores, andpredicted to be tough to drilling.The train candidate used to be a rock called Skinner Ridge.
Mars Perseverance Sol 482: WATSON Digicam: The abraded patch Thornton Gap. New the seen clasts within the rock. Credit ranking: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The principle task the rover conducted on this rock used to be an abrasion called Thornton Gap, and correct away the group modified into excited. The abrasion used to be very successful, exposing the interior surface of the rock without fracturing the surrounding place. Moreover, it revealed that this rock contained individual clasts with sure boundaries. Perseverance’s beefy instrument suite used to be aged to examine and file the abraded patch, then it used to be time to core.
Mars Perseverance Sol 490 – Left Navigation Digicam: The abraded patch and coring borehole on the rock Skinner Ridge. Credit ranking: NASA/JPL-Caltech
It turned out to be a perfect preference. Collecting the core went very simply, and it used to be named Swift Speed. At 6.70 cm (2.6 inches) long, it is our longest core of the mission to this level. Presumably necessary more intriguing used to be to glimpse that these identical clasts seen within the abraded patch were also seen within the core. The drill files confirmed that the rock used to be one among the softer ones now we beget cored to this level. It finest required low stages of percussion to fracture growth by the rock, customarily turning off percussion altogether when rotary-finest drilling used to be ample.
Mars Perseverance Sol 490 – Loyal Mastcam-Z Digicam: The Swift Speed core within the coring bit. Credit ranking: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
One final reward for somebody wondering where these names come from. The Perseverance mission names areas after varied national parks on Earth. Rocks, abrasions, and cores are given names linked to the most up-to-date place. The rover is for the time being within the Shenandoah quadrangle, named for the U.S. National Park in Virginia. Skinner Ridge, Thornton Gap, and Swift Speed are all functions in Shenandoah.
Written by Iona Brockie, Sampling Engineer at NASA/JPL