Recently on Mars, Perseverance wrestled with sampling a crumbly rock and continued our boulder-bonanza!
We’ve been exploring the Onahu outcrop for the past 3 weeks, having previously performed an abrasion named Ouzel Falls. We saw from this abrasion that the rock is most likely a conglomerate worth sampling, but was also likely to be crumbly. The team therefore elected to drive and reposition the rover at an angle more conducive to getting rock inside the sample tube (and away from rover parts, given that pebbles in our bit carousel previously caused the team some headaches before we finally dislodged them). We also added in extra Mastcam-Z imaging of the tube (see image above) to confirm that the rock made it in there before we sealed the sample. Although rock is visible, we only collected ~1.3 cm of sample, so we elected to re-attempt sampling on the Ouzel Falls abrasion spot. Unfortunately, this crumbly conglomerate continues to evade us! We will therefore drive approximately 40 m to a location called Stone Man Pass and assess whether conglomerates of interest for sampling exist there.
In addition to our sampling attempts, we have been using Mastcam-Z and SuperCam to observe other nearby boulders. These include a rock we’ve named “Crystal Lake” that shows an interesting surface texture and may be composed of two different clast types; and “Milner Pass” which appears to have purple coatings.
Next up, we’ll be making our way towards the “margin unit”, the carbonate-bearing rocks located along the inner rim of Jezero. Our previous stop at Echo Creek revealed rocks consistent with the curvilinear unit, and so we’re still waiting in anticipation to encounter the margin unit. The margin unit is thought to be related to a regional olivine-and-carbonate-rich unit that spans thousands of square kilometers. Therefore, assessing whether these deposits are similar to the olivine-rich Séítah, or something new, will help us understand both the history of Jezero and of the surrounding area.
Mars 2020 is unique compared to previous rover missions in that, whilst we have the freedom to explore, eventually Perseverance will rendezvous with the sample return vehicle to hand off our samples for return to Earth. This mission is a marathon, not a sprint, so we’re taking time to enjoy the stops along the way!
BLOGMARS PERSEVERANCE ROVER
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June 08, 2023
Boulder Bonanza! Science and Sampling Attempts at the Onahu Outcrop
Mars Perseverance Sol 803 - Left Mastcam-Z Camera: This image, captured by the Mastcam-Z camera, shows our first attempted sample visible in the tube. This image acquired on May 24, 2023 (Sol 803). Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU. Download image ›
About This Blog
These blog updates are provided by self-selected Mars 2020 mission team members who love to share what Perseverance is doing with the public.
Dates of planned rover activities described in these blogs are subject to change due to a variety of factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays and rover status.
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Contributors+
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Planetary Scientist, Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum
Washington, DC -
SuperCam/ChemCam Engineer, Los Alamos National LaboratoryLos Alamos National Laboratory -
Docking Systems Engineer, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
Deputy Program Scientist, NASA HQ
Washington, DC -
Student Collaborator, University of Florida
Gainesville, FL -
Mapping Specialist, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
SuperCam, PhD Student, Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN -
Systems Engineer, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
Project Scientist, Caltech
Pasadena, CA -
Mars 2020 Student Collaborator, University of Florida
Gainesville, FL -
Student Collaborator, Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN -
Student Collaborator, McGill University
Montreal, Canada -
Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) Principal Investigator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Westford, MA -
Chief Engineer for Sampling & Caching, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
Ph.D. Student, University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA -
Student Collaborator on Mastcam-Z, Western Washington University -
Student Collaborator, University of Florida
Gainesville, FL -
Ph.D. Student, Purdue University -
Systems Engineer, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
Perseverance Deputy Project Manager, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
Student Collaborator on PIXL, University of Washington -
Imaging Scientist and Mastcam-Z Deputy Principal Investigator, NASA/JPL -
MOXIE Science Team Member, Lunar Outpost -
Assistant Science Manager, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
Ph.D. Student, Rice University
Houston, Texas -
Ph.D. Student, University of the Basque Country -
Vehicle Systems Engineer, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
Atmospheric Scientist, Aeolis Research
Altadena, CA -
Sampling Operations Deputy Lead, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
Vehicle Systems Engineer Lead, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
Co-Investigator, PIXL Instrument, Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
Copenhagen, Denmark -
Student Collaborator, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Honolulu, HI -
Robotic Systems Engineer, NASA/JPL -
Deputy Project Scientist, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
Science Operations Systems Engineer, Staff Scientist, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
Sampling Engineer, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
Project Manager, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
Chief Engineer for Robotic Operations, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
Deputy Project Manager, NASA/JPL
Pasadena, CA -
Principal Investigator, SuperCam / Co-Investigator, SHERLOC instrument, Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN
Tools on the Perseverance Rover+
The Perseverance rover has tools to study the history of its landing site, seek signs of ancient life, collect rock and soil samples, and help prepare for human exploration of Mars. The rover carries:
CAMERAS & SPECTROMETERS
- Mastcam-Z
- PIXL (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry)
- SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals)
- SuperCam
GROUND-PENETRATING RADAR
ENVIRONMENTAL SENSORS
TECHNOLOGY DEMO
SAMPLE COLLECTION