Mars probe fails to collect rock samples

Mars chariot “perseverance” with His first attemptNot collecting rock samples from the Red Planet.

US space agency NASA She posted pictures of a small bridge with a hole in the middle on Friday – the first robotic hole on Mars. The roving cart data However, he noted, no rocks were collected during the excavation.

Although this is not the hoped-for result, he said NASARepresentative Thomas Zurbuchen with. But be responsible NASA– The team is now working on a “solution” to collect samples.

The rock collection is expected to take eleven days. The goal is to search for signs of ancient microbial life that may have been preserved in the wreckage of an ancient lake. Scientists also hope to gain a better understanding of geology Conditions on Mars.

Perseverance left Florida a little over a year ago and landed at Jezero Crater on Mars in February. Scientists suspect that a deep lake existed there about 3.5 billion years ago, which emptied and refilled several times over time and provided suitable conditions for organic life.

Until the scientists die Analyze the samples by yourself It could, however, take years: you wouldn’t plan until the 2030s NASA In conjunction with the European Space Agency (ESA) a mission to bring samples to a land to take it back.