Mars Sample Return: To bring the first samples of rock and soil from another planet back to Earth, scientists at the European Space Agency (ESA) and the American space agency NASA are working together. This will be the first attempt to return such samples from Mars, despite the fact that we have already brought samples from the Moon and asteroids to Earth.
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The establishment of a sample tube depot at “Three Forks,” a location near the base of an ancient river delta in Jezero Crater, has already been decided upon by the two space agencies. The sample return mission and the Perseverance rover on Mars will meet up.
The materials may even hold clues to the existence of prehistoric life
Rock and soil samples that were cored from the surface are already being kept in the sample casing unit of the Perseverance rover. The materials may even hold clues to the existence of prehistoric life and can assist explain Jezero Crater’s past as well as the evolution of Mars.
The fine-grained sedimentary rocks of the delta that were cored are most likely to hold clues as to whether microbial life existed when Mars’ climate was very different from what it is today. These rocks were deposited in a lake billions of years ago.
The Perseverance rover has already started exploring a region known as “Yori Pass” near the foot of the old river delta in Jezero Crater where rock has piqued interest. Fine granules that have been transported from somewhere else by water and then settled to form a stone make up sandstone.
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Update from Katie Stack Morgan
“We often prioritise the study of fine-grained sedimentary rocks like this one in our search for organics and potential biosignaturesWhat’s especially interesting about the Yori Pass outcrop is that it is laterally equivalent with ‘Hogwallow Flats,’ where we found very fine-grained sedimentary rocks. That means that the rock bed is located at the same elevation as Hogwallow, and has a large, traceable footprint visible on the surface,” according to an update from Katie Stack Morgan, the Perseverance deputy project scientist.
The rover has gathered 14 rock-core samples, one atmosphere sample, and three witness tubes, all of which are kept in the belly of the rover.
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