A first: soil samples from Mars for the laboratories on Earth
A first: soil samples from Mars for the laboratories on Earth
For the first time, samples will be collected and prepared for transport to Earth during a Mars mission. During its journey across Jezero crater, the Mars 2020 rover Perseverance will collect rock and soil samples, which it will drill with the drilling tool on the turret of Perseverance's mobile instrument arm and store in cylindrical metal tubes. The picture shows a model of the partially loaded sample container, a metal tube for the Martian rock and the cover of the sample container. NASA and ESA are currently developing concepts for the Mars sample return mission, which is scheduled for the early 2030s.
