The Perseverance rover has taken soil and rock samples on Mars

NASA's Perseverance rover has collected soil and rock samples on Mars to bring back to Earth for research.

This is the Perseverance's second attempt, following its unsuccessful attempt last month. Previously, on August 7, NASA announced that the Perseverance spacecraft had drilled into the base of Jezero crater to extract a finger-sized sample from flat rocks. The drill seems to work as expected, but the rock sample does not enter the ice tube.

(Photo provided by NASA) The Perseverance rover collected soil and rock samples on Mars to return to Earth for research on September 1, 2021. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

In a statement on September 2, NASA said that poor lighting conditions made it possible for the agency to obtain images only after the 2-meter-long robotic arm had completed collecting samples. The Perseverance is expected to continue to record more related images on September 4, when there is better light. Jennifer Trosper, project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, said: "The team identified, selected and drilled at a viable site and there are rock samples of scientific value". 

The Perseverance probe was launched from Florida (USA) more than a year ago. This large car-sized spacecraft landed on Mars on February 18, at Jezero Crater. Scientists believe this crater contained a deep lake 3.5 billion years ago where conditions could have supported extraterrestrial life. Drilling holes is the first step in the sampling process, which is expected to take about 11 days. According to the team, their target was a suitcase-sized rock - nicknamed "Rochette" - about 900 meters from Jezero Crater.

With the aim of finding signs of ancient microbial life on the "Red Planet" , NASA aims to collect about 30 samples in tubes and return the collected samples to Earth in the 30s. of this century for analysis with instruments far more sophisticated than those that can be sent to Mars today.

Scientific instruments mounted on the Perseverance rover can identify chemical and mineral compositions, search for organics, and better identify features of the geological formations on the planet. Mars.