August 16, 2023
Meet two of the Martian samples which were collected and are awaiting return to Earth as a part of the Mars Pattern Return marketing campaign. As of early August 2023, NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has collected and sealed 20 scientifically chosen samples inside pristine tubes. The subsequent stage is to get them again for research.
Thought-about one of many highest priorities by the scientists within the Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032, Mars Pattern Return could be the primary mission to return samples from one other planet and gives the most effective alternative to disclose the early evolution of Mars, together with the potential for historical life. NASA is teaming with ESA (European Area Company) on this necessary endeavor.
Study extra about Samples No. 17 and 18 – “Atmo Mountain” and “Crosswind Lake,” the mission’s first samples of the Mars floor materials often known as “regolith.” The samples have been collected from a low, wind-blown ripple and comprise unfastened materials representing a variety of grain sizes resembling mud, sand, and pebbles. Martian wind can carry smaller grains like this over lengthy distances, so regolith can present perception into the worldwide and native panorama, all in a single “seize bag.”
Examine all of the fastidiously chosen samples: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-rock-samples
Study extra in regards to the Mars Pattern Return marketing campaign: https://mars.nasa.gov/msr
A key goal for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, together with the seek for indicators of historical microbial life. The rover characterizes the planet’s geology and previous local weather, paves the way in which for human exploration of the Pink Planet, and is the primary mission to gather and cache Martian rock and regolith.
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MARS ROCK SAMPLES
SAMPLE 17 & 18: ATMO MOUNTAIN & CROSSWIND LAKE
TYPE: REGOLITH
LOCATION: OBSERVATION MOUNTAIN
RACHEL KRONYAK
SCIENCE OPERATIONS – MARS PERSEVERANCE ROVER
Rachel Kronyak: Pattern quantity 17 known as “Atmo Mountain.” Pattern quantity 18 known as “Crosswind Lake.” This pair of samples was collected from the Statement Mountain location close to the Delta Entrance.
This was our first pair of regolith samples, which could be very totally different from the rock core samples that we have been amassing up till this level. Regolith basically simply means unfastened materials and symbolize a variety of grain sizes. The scientists on the staff referred to it as a jewellery field as a result of you may have all of this totally different materials, multi functional pattern. We’ve got sand, pebbles, mud, so we will get a very good sense for what this materials is made out of; the place it got here from.
SUNANDA SHARMA
ASTROBIOLOGIST – MARS PERSEVERANCE ROVER
Sunanda Sharma: What’s thrilling about these is that they will symbolize a wider area. So many of the rocks that we observe have been in that place for not less than some period of time. Mud can have been transported far more steadily. So we may be getting kind of a window out past simply Statement Mountain and even simply the Delta Entrance.
Rachel Kronyak: And it additionally helps us perceive some context for eventual human exploration of Mars, as a result of we need to understand how the actually high-quality grained supplies like mud work together with spacecraft and materials and in addition with astronauts which are exploring the floor.
We determined to drop the Crosswind Lake pattern into the Three Forks pattern depot. This was our final paired pattern earlier than Perseverance dropped ten tubes within the pattern depot at Three Forks. So from right here on out, we will be amassing single samples at every of our sampling areas.
Sunanda Sharma: There’s worth in observing one thing the place it has been for a very long time, however there’s additionally worth in observing one thing that is transported rather a lot as a result of principally we will not get all over the place on this traverse. So if we will decide samples which were much more locations, we will get like a much bigger variety, simpler.
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For extra data on Mars Rock Samples: mars.nasa.gov/mars-rock-samples
