NASA's Perseverance collects 10th rock sample on Mars: See pic

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover is currently exploring Jezero Crater's ancient river delta and collecting samples for return to Earth. The six-wheeled explorer has collected ten samples of Martian rock to date.

On July 13, the mission team shared a picture of the 10th rock sample the rover collected on Mars.

Big day for space science! From grand telescope views that #UnfoldTheUniverse, to extreme closeups of #SamplingMars, with rock cores barely the size of a pinky finger. I've now collected my 10th rock sample, seen here in the late afternoon Martian sun. pic.twitter.com/uOq5nABY8W

— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) July 13, 2022

Launched on February 18, 2021, the Perseverance Mars rover's key goal is to look for signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for a possible return to Earth. It will be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith.

According to NASA, the samples collected by Perseverance during its exploration of an ancient lakebed are thought to present the best opportunity to reveal clues about the early evolution of Mars, including the potential for past life.

In addition to collecting samples, the Mars rover is also busy scouting flat landing spots for the planned Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign that seeks to retrieve and deliver Mars rock samples to Earth for in-depth analysis to look for signs of past microscopic life on the Red Planet. The sites being scouted are under consideration because of their proximity to the delta and to one another, as well as for their relatively flat, lander-friendly terrain, the agency said earlier this week.

Mars Sample Return is a strategic partnership between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), which would involve multiple spacecraft, including a rocket that would launch from the surface of Mars.