SAN FRANCISCO, iNews.id – NASA is showing off the first images of Martian rock samples collected by the Persevernace rover. The team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) uploaded images of the particles collected on Monday (6/9/2021).
The particles will be brought to Earth by another mission that takes place in the 2030s. “I have now captured, sealed and stored the first core sample ever drilled on another planet, in an effort to return the sample to Earth,” JPL said on its Perseverance Twitter account.
NASA chief Bill Nelson described the successful collection effort as an important achievement. Meanwhile, Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for science, said it was “a truly historic moment.”
It’s official: I’ve now captured, sealed, and stored the first core sample ever drilled on another planet, in a quest to return samples to Earth. It’s the first in a one-of-a-kind Martian rock collection. #SamplingMars
Read more: https://t.co/bs4Hd4Fzyw pic.twitter.com/2jwF7cOcMZ
– NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) September 6, 2021
Zurbuchen says, just as the Apollo moon missions demonstrated the enduring scientific value of returning samples from other worlds for analysis here on Earth, they will do the same with samples Perseverance collected as part of their Mars Sample Return program.
“Using the most advanced scientific instruments on Earth, we expect amazing discoveries in various fields of science, including the exploration of the question of whether there was ever life on Mars,” Zurbuchen said as quoted by Digital Trends.
Editor: Dini Listiyani
