Continue Mission, NASA Perseverance Robot Ready To Collect Rock Core Of Planet Mars

Perseverance has been on Mars since February 18th. (photo: NASA)

JAKARTA - Continuing the mission of the Mars Perseverance rover robot, now NASA is preparing to collect samples of the rock core of Planet Mars. Later the sample will be brought to Earth for further research.

Perseverance is known to have been on Mars since February 18 and is on a mission to search for signs of ancient microbial life on Mars. To collect samples of the rock core, NASA will use a device on the robotic arm of a seven-foot or two-meter rover that will scrape the surface of the rock, dubbed Rochette.

Compiled from the official NASA website, Sunday, August 29, by collecting samples of the rock, allowing scientists to see deeper into the rock core that may be retrieved. This rock core has a slightly thicker shape than a pencil. Then, the sample will be sealed in one of the 42 remaining titanium tubes on the rover. The sampling process will begin next week.

"By bringing samples to Earth, we hope to answer several scientific questions, including the composition of the Martian atmosphere. That's why we are interested in atmospheric samples along with rock samples", said Perseverance project scientist at Caltech in Pasadena, California, Ken Farley.

NASA Perseverance will use its subsurface radar called the Radar Imager for Mars Subsurface Experiment (RIMFAX) to peer into the rock layers below.

This is a follow-up mission on August 6. After previously Perseverance found rocks that were too brittle and were destroyed when stored in tubes.

For information, the main goal of the Perseverance mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. Meanwhile, Perseverance plays a role in characterizing the planet's geology and past climate. This will be the first mission to collect and store Martian rock and regolith (rock fragments and dust).

After this rock collecting mission, NASA will next work with ESA (European Space Agency) to send a spacecraft to Mars. Later, the mission will collect closed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for further research.