NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has some rocks stuck in its throat.
Perseverance drilled and collected its sixth Red Planet rock sample late last month, but the car-sized rover hasn’t been able to seal up the titanium tube containing the material yet.
Perseverance landed in February 2021 inside the 28-mile-wide Jezero Crater, which harbored a lake and river delta billions of years ago. The rover has two main mission goals: hunt for signs of ancient Mars life and collect and cache several dozen samples. This pristine Martian material will be returned to Earth, perhaps as early as 2031, by a joint NASA/European Space Agency campaign.
Everything went smoothly until Perseverance transferred the sample, which was already inside its titanium tube, into the “bit carousel,” a rotating, wheel-like structure on the rover’s chassis. Sensors recorded resistance unexpectedly early during this step, suggesting a blockage of some sort. “However, this is the first time we are doing a debris removal, and we want to take whatever time is necessary to ensure these pebbles exit in a controlled and orderly fashion,” Jandura added.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
UAE's Mars Hope Team Publishes 'Mars Atlas'UAE’s Mars Hope Team Publishes ‘Mars Atlas’ - here's Astroguyz on MBRSpaceCentre's HopeMarsMission and its amazing new views of the Red Planet -
Read more »
We Might Know Why Mars Lost its Magnetic Field - Universe TodayA new study might answer one of Mars' most compelling mysteries: How did it lose its protective magnetic shield? It may have a strange core.
Read more »
Deep interior of Mars might have led to the loss of the planet's atmosphereA new study gives potential insights into how the Red Planet's magnetic field, which protected its atmosphere, faded away.
Read more »
Mars rovers performed way better than what was expectedUntil now, six rovers have traveled Mars, and all of them achieved impossible feats and lasted much longer than what was expected.
Read more »
Dr. Paul Sutter breaks down how hard it is to get to Mars—and then to live thereDr. Paul Sutter PaulMattSutter breaks down how hard it is to get to Mars—and then to live there -
Read more »
Asteroid Ryugu samples, now on Earth, reveal inner workings of the space rockChelsea “Foxanne” Gohd joined Space.com in 2018 and is now a Senior Writer, writing about everything from climate change to planetary science and human spaceflight in both articles and on-camera in videos. With a degree in Public Health and biological sciences, Chelsea has written and worked for institutions including the American Museum of Natural History, Scientific American, Discover Magazine Blog, Astronomy Magazine and Live Science. When not writing, editing or filming something space-y, Chelsea 'Foxanne' Gohd is writing music and performing as Foxanne, even launching a song to space in 2021 with Inspiration4. You can follow her on Twitter chelsea_gohd and foxannemusic.
Read more »