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Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Meet the Mars Samples: Robine and Malay (Samples 6 & 7) | NASA/JPL

Meet the Mars Samples: Robine and Malay (Samples 6 & 7) | NASA/JPL

Meet two of the Martian samples that have been collected and are awaiting return to Earth as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign. As of late June 2023, NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has collected and sealed 20 scientifically selected samples inside pristine tubes. The next stage is to get them back for study.

Considered one of the highest priorities by the scientists in the Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032, Mars Sample Return would be the first mission to return samples from another planet and provides the best opportunity to reveal the early evolution of Mars, including the potential for ancient life. NASA is teaming with the European Space Agency (ESA) on this important endeavor. 

Learn more about Samples No. 6 and 7—“Robine” and “Malay”—a pair of rock cores collected by Perseverance from the “Issole” outcrop in Jezero Crater. When the rover used its drill’s abrasion bit to grind away the surface of “Issole,” its cameras spotted an intriguing sulfate crystal resembling the shape of a polar bear. Mineral types within this target rock are known by scientists on Earth to be capable of preserving signs of ancient life.

Read about all the carefully selected samples: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-rock-samples

Learn more about the Mars Sample Return campaign: https://mars.nasa.gov/msr 

A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, as well as be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). 

Mission Name: Mars 2020

Rover Name: Perseverance
Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.
Mars Helicopter (Ingenuity)
Launch: July 30, 2020    
Landing: Feb. 18, 2021, Jezero Crater, Mars

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Duration: 1 minute, 17 seconds
Release Date: July 12, 2023

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