NASA’s Perseverance rover shows off Mars sample collection, have a look
On February 14, NASA released a stunning panorama of 368 images of titanium tubes stuffed with Martian rock samples collected by its Perseverance rover which would be sent to Earth. This is the first sample depot in another world
Mars' paparazzi: NASA’s Perseverance rover captured this portrait of its recently completed sample depot using its Mastcam-Z camera on January 31, 2023. The depot is a crucial milestone in the 'NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return' campaign. The panorama that consists of 368 images, captures more than a month of careful placement and mapping of 10 titanium tubes. Image Source: NASA
Critical view: This annotated version of the portrait captured by NASA’s Perseverance rover shows the location of the 10 sample tubes in the depot. The “Amalik” sample closest to the rover was about 10 feet (3 meters) away whereas the “Mageik” and “Malay” samples, which were farthest, were approximately 197 feet (60 meters) from the rover | Image source: NASA
Montage: This photo montage shows each of the sample tubes deposited by the Perseverance rover at the “Three Forks” sample depot, as viewed by the WATSON camera on the end of the rover’s robotic arm. A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. Image source: NASA
The rover in all its glory: This image of the Perseverance rover was taken during its first drive on Mars on March 4, 2021. Perseverance landed on the red planet on February 18, 2021, and the team has been spending the weeks since landing checking out the rover to prepare for surface operations. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover | Image source: NASA
