The mission of the rover almost failed, Perseverance did not collect a single gram of rock during the drilling
Collected volume of data sent to Earth by the Perseverance rover, immediately after the first assembly attempt rock samples on Mars showed that during the first drilling it was not possible to collect a single gram rocks.
This puts the entire rover mission to a complete failure. NASA is working on its next steps.
The assembly of rocks on Mars was unsuccessful
So Perseverance was equipped with 43 titanium sample containers at once in order to fully study the Jezero crater. According to the plan, the rover was supposed to collect samples of rocks and regolith for further careful study on Earth.
And for sampling on the rover, a specialized chisel and percussion drill were installed on the tip of a robotic arm.
So, according to the telemetry data, both the bit and the drill were actively involved in the first sampling attempt. Further processing of the sampling tube was carried out according to the laid down algorithm. But, as it turned out, it was not possible to take samples.
And according to the statement of the head of the Perseverance mission D. Samuels, the entire selection algorithm is automated. And one of the stages of the algorithm is to measure the volume of the sampled rock with a specialized probe.
So the probe data indicates that the expected rock resistance was not found in the container.
After such unpleasant news, the Perseverance mission gathers a specialized group to analyze the data and work out a further algorithm of actions.
So one of the first steps will be the use of a WATSON thermal imager (wide-angle topographic sensor), which is installed on the tip of the manipulator for taking close-up images of the wellbore.
After the engineers better understand the situation and still understand what happened, the date of the next missions will be determined.
So it was originally assumed that the empty tube is a consequence of the fact that the Martian rock reacts in a rather unexpected way. The problem with the equipment is almost completely eliminated, since the equipment has been repeatedly tested on Earth.
The analysis of the collected data continues and let's hope that NASA engineers will succeed, and Perseverance will collect samples, which will then be examined by scientists.
Did you like the material? Then rate it and don't forget to subscribe to the channel. Thank you for your attention!