NASA Perseverance Rover Mission Accomplished; Sample Depot Could Help Scientists Unravel Mars Geology

The Martian rover has planted ten different sample tubes on Mars surface. These tubes are part of the sample depot across the Red Planet that will help scientists delve deeper into Mars geology.

NASA Perseverance Rover Plants Last Tube For Martian Sample Depot

SciTechDaily reports that the making of the other-world sample depot was completed in just under six weeks since its commencement. Authorities received confirmation on January 29 that the NASA Perseverance Rover successfully planted the tenth and last tube into the depot.

The entire historic process required precision, planning, and navigation in order to make sure that these tubes could be safely retrieved later on by the Mars Sample Return Campaign of the European Space Agency. The said campaign reportedly aims to retrieve the Martian samples and bring them back to earth for in-depth study.

Aside from this, the Rover also deposited a witness tube as well as an atmospheric sample. The witness tube, specifically, is used to determine whether the collected samples could be contaminated with materials from the Rover as it traveled all the way from earth.

The tubes of titanium were deposited in a complex zigzag pattern. Each sample shared a distance of 5 to 15 meters from each other to ensure that they could be safely retrieved. The scientists also need to accurately map out the tube's location so that the samples could still be recovered even if there was dust covering and burying it.

The depot is situated on a flat area close to the base of a prehistoric river delta, which is raised and fan-shaped, that was formed long ago.

What's Next For NASA Perseverance Rover?

According to Space, the rover reached Jezero Crater in February 2021. The said area was thought to have had a huge lake and river over billions of years ago.

The craft with six wheels is looking for signals of prehistoric Martian existence. On top of that, it is also gathering large quantities of samples that will be brought back to earth through a campaign that is being collaborated by both NASA and the ESA. This campaign is set to start by 2033, if things go smoothly.

NASA notes that, throughout its many campaigns, the rover has been collecting rock sample pairs that were deemed to hold scientific importance. A sample generated from each taken pair is now carefully situated in a depot within the Jezero Crater, specifically in its Three Forks area. Such samples within the depot will be the backup while the remaining are kept inside the Perseverance Rover, which will be the main method for conveying these samples to the Sample Retrieval Lander.

SciTechDaily notes how the scientists from the mission think that cores of sedimentary and igneous rocks grant an exemplary cross-section of the geological procedures that occurred in Jezero and that shortly followed the crater's formation.

According to Rick Welch, who serves as the deputy project manager of the Perseverance Rover, the rover is now coursing to the delta. They are set to ascend through the route of the Hawksbill Gap that they have previously looked into. After passing through the Rocky Top, they will be in fresh territory and start looking into the Delta Top.

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