NASA’s Perseverance Rover’s first sample of Mars mysteriously vanished

• NASA’s Perseverance rover attempted to collect its first Martian rock sample on Friday, but found itself empty.
• Perseverance drilled a hole in the rock, withdrew, then found that the rock core was gone.
• Mission controllers believe the rock reacted unexpectedly, not that the rover made a mistake.

NASA has spent nine years and about $ 2 billion on its quest to drill and store Martian rock samples. The Perseverance rover was ready to finally get there on Friday.

The rover picked up a rock in an ancient lake of Mars bed that could have contained alien life and attempted to drill. But something strange happened: the sample seems to have disappeared.

There is a finger-sized hole in the rock where the sample should have come out, but the rover’s sample collection tube is empty. And the rock core is not near the hole. It just isn’t there.

“While this is not the ‘hole in one’ we were hoping for, there is always risk to innovate,” NASA Associate Administrator Thomas Zurbuchen said in a press release. “I am confident that we have the right team to work on this, and we will push for a solution to ensure future success.”

To figure out what happened, NASA asks Perseverance to take close-up photos of the borehole. Mission controllers will then try to schedule another sampling attempt.

“The initial idea is that the empty tube is more likely the result of the rock target not reacting as we expected during coring, and less likely a hardware problem with the sampling and setting system. cache, “Jennifer Trosper, project manager for Perseverance, said in a statement. “Over the next few days, the team will be spending more time analyzing the data we have and acquiring additional diagnostic data to help understand the root cause of the empty tube.”

The main objective of Perseverance on Mars is to explore an area called Jezero Crater and collect rock samples; the tube that came out empty is one of the 43 that the rover is transporting for this purpose. NASA plans to send another mission to Mars in about a decade to retrieve the samples and bring them back to Earth. Then scientists can determine if microbial life may have lived in the lake that once filled the basin.

In other words, a significant amount of planning and money depends on Perseverance’s ability to successfully drill.

Mars keeps NASA on its toes

To take its first sample, Perseverance first used an abrasion tool to remove dust and surface coatings. Then the rover extended its 7-foot-long arm, which had a sample collection tool at the end. This tool uses a hammer drill to push a hollow core drill bit into the rock.

The process is autonomous; mission controllers simply send a “go” command.

Data the rover has returned to Earth from its attempt so far indicates that it has taken the necessary action as planned. However, the tube is empty.

The rock that Perseverance was trying to sample is typical of the region. The floor of the Jezero crater is covered with what NASA calls “cobblestones”. These porous rocks could be sedimentary (that is, formed by the activity of rivers and lakes) or volcanic. Taking a sample would help scientists determine what type of rocks line the crater floor, improving their understanding of the history of the area.

Other Martian missions also encountered unexpected difficulties due to rock and soil. NASA recently had to abandon the “mole” of its InSight lander, a probing tool supposed to sink into the Martian crust and measure its temperature. The mole found itself bouncing off a firm ground base called duracrust.

“I’ve been on every rover mission to Mars since the start, and this planet is always teaching us what we don’t know about it,” Trosper said. “One thing I have found is that it is not uncommon to have complications with complex activities for the first time.”