Perseverance, the NASA Mars Rover is on a mission to find proof of alien life. The rover drilled into the Martian surface. However, it failed in its first attempt to collect rock samples.
The initial failure of the NASA Mars Rover
Perseverance, NASA’s rover drilled into the surface successfully. However, it was unable to collect rock samples. The rock samples would be crucial for planning future missions. Moreover, analysis of rock formation can provide a major trajectory for research on alien life. NASA published the first images of a small mound on eath with a hole next to the rover. This is the first-ever hole dug on Mars by a robot.
“Sampling Mars is one of my most complicated tasks. Early pics and data show a successful drill hole, but no sample in the tube–something we’ve never seen in testing on Earth. Mars keeps surprising us. We’re working through this new challenge. More to come” tweeted the official handle of the NASA rover.
More on the historic hole
The hole drilled by Perseverance is the first step towards sampling ‘Mars samples.’ After all, the process takes around 11 days and aims at looking for signs of ancient microbes. Moreover, traces of microbial life are usually preserved in the lakebed deposits of ancient deposits. In addition to this, researchers can also better understand the Red planet‘s geology and evolution.
Overall, NASA plans to bring approximately 30 samples back to earth in the 2030s. Once analyzed by sophisticated techniques, it will give us a better idea of the possibility of life on Mars. “While this is not the ‘hole-in-one we hoped for. There is always a risk with breaking new ground. I’m confident we have the right team working on this, and we will persevere toward a solution to ensure future success,” said Thomas Zurbuchen. Zurbuchen is the associate administrator for the science mission directorate at NASA.