NASA's Perseverance Rover completes its primary mission on Mars
What's the story
NASA's Perseverance Rover has thrived one Mars year, equivalent to around 687 Earth days, on the red planet.
As of January 6, the car-sized robot has completed its primary mission on Mars and will continue on its extended mission.
The six-wheeled explorer took off on July 30, 2020, and set foot on Mars' Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Perseverance Rover, nicknamed Percy, is currently building a sample depot on Mars. This is the first time that a repository of this kind is being constructed on another planet.
Via the Mars Sample Return program, NASA intends to bring back samples from the red planet to Earth, and the head of this crucial campaign is Indian-origin scientist Meenakshi Wadhwa.
Mission
The primary mission was to collect Martian samples
Percy was built to better understand the geology of Mars, to probe for signs of ancient life, and to collect samples of rock and regolith from the red planet. The primary mission has been completed.
During the mission, the rover has used several of the instruments it is carrying, including high-end cameras, sensors, spectrometers, and a ground-penetrating radar.
Sampling
The Rover has been collecting samples in duplicates
The Rover has been collecting samples in duplicates from its target rocks on Mars.
One set of specimens is stashed away in the Rover's belly, which will be delivered to a future lander that will bring the Martian specimens back to Earth.
The other set serves as a backup and is being used to create the sample depot.
Sample depot
The Rover's witness tubes will help assess the sampling system
Talking about the sample depot, the Rover has already sealed 18 of its 38 titanium sample tubes as well as three of its five "witness" tubes.
The witness tubes will show whether Earth contaminants were present during the sample collection process. By this, scientists will be able to determine which materials present in the Martian samples could be of Earth's origin.
Upcoming task
Percy will next head to the top of Jezero Crater
So far, the Rover has successfully dropped four of the ten sample tubes at the Three Forks region in the Jezero Crater.
Once the Rover completes creating the sample depot, it will head to the top of Jezero's river delta where it will look for boulders and other materials that were deposited in the crater by Jezero's ancient river.