NASA\u2019s Perseverance Mars rover recently attempted its first-ever sample collection of the Martian surface on August 6. However, data shows that while the rover\u2019s drill successfully drilled into the surface, no regolith was collected in the sample tube.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, as Perseverance was preparing for the sample collection event, a team of researchers using ESA\u2019s Mars Express orbiter found evidence that previously thought of lakes of water underneath Mars\u2019 south pole might actually be made of clay.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Perseverance\u2019s sample collection failure<\/b><\/p>\n
On August 6, Perseverance\u2019s 2-meter robotic arm lowered to the Martian surface, where a drill located at the end of the arm began carving into the local rock.<\/p>\n
Inside the bit used to drill into the surface was a small, hollow titanium cylinder container. This container aimed to collect the dust, sand, rock, and other regolith displaced by the drill. Once the drilling was complete, the tube should have been filled with surface material the size of a piece of chalk. <\/p>\n
This entire process is called sample collection and is a crucial part of Perseverance\u2019s mission as well as two follow-on NASA and ESA Sample Return flights slated for launch in 2026.<\/p>\n
However, the August 6 drilling event data shows that the sample collection tube did not collect any surface material. <\/p>\n
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