The Perseverance Rover is now ready to begin the most important step of its return mission by taking samples from the Red Planet Mars. NASA has revealed that the robotic explorer will begin retracting its sample tubes from Jezero Crater. This process will be completed in about a month. These samples are being collected in 10 titanium tubes, which include different types of rocks. Soon the return journey of Perseverance Rover will start, before that the process of taking samples will be completed.
The agency explained that Perseverance has collected a pair of samples from each of its targets and will store half of each pair to keep the other pair as a backup. The backup samples would remain inside the rover and would be the first means of transporting the pooled samples to the Mars launch vehicle.
The first depot was built on the second world
The primary requirement for building a depot on Mars was to find a flat and rock-free terrain as sufficient space is needed to store the sample tubes. A smooth ground is also required for the recovery helicopters that are part of the process to retrieve the sample. After identifying ‘Three Forks’ as such a location, mission teams determined where and how to deploy the tubes within that location.
Mars missions only need a good landing zone
Richard Cook, Mars Sample Return Program Manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), said in a statement: “Until now, Mars missions have only needed a good landing area, the first one for the sample retrieval lander. 10 more such locations are needed in the vicinity for sample recovery helicopters to take off and land and drive.”
Preparation will be like this
The teams have decided to reserve an ‘area of operation’ of 18 feet (5.5 metres) in diameter. The helicopter could receive the sample without disturbing the rest of the depot. To do this the tubes would be deposited on the surface in an intricate zigzag pattern, with each sample 16 to 49 feet (5 to 15 m) apart from each other.
This step will be taken for the safety of the sample
NASA says the success of the depot will depend on the precise placement of the tubes. Once submitted, Perseverance will send a series of photos that will be examined by mission controllers. This will be so that in case the samples are lost in the dust storm, their location can be traced.
Mars Perseverance Rover is like this
Let us tell you that on the night of February 18, 2021, the American space agency NASA successfully landed its Mars Perseverance Rover in Jezero Crater. The Perseverance Mars rover is 6 feet 7 inches long, 8 feet 10 inches wide and 7 feet 3 inches high. It was launched on 30 July 2020 from the Cape Canaveral Center in the US. It took 11 years to build this spacecraft.
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Credit: bharat.republicworld.com /