Nine tubes down: First-ever sample depot on Mars is almost complete

NASA's Perseverance rover has deposited nine out of 10 sample tubes at the Three Forks region of Mars' Jezero Crater - an ancient impact crater located on the surface of Mars. This leaves the sample depot 90% finished.

The latest sample tube dropped by the rover came from an igneous rock back near its landing site. This rock core sample could not only tell scientists a lot about the earliest history of this lakebed area but also help put a specific age on the Martian surface for the first time.

Rocks like this, studied up close, could for the first time help put a specific age on the surface of Mars. Scientists often make educated guesses about the age by counting craters in a region (more craters = older). Samples like this offer a key to unlocking the real answer. pic.twitter.com/wJYRvSloDP

— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) January 20, 2023

For the unversed, Perseverance is constructing the first-ever sample repository on Mars, where a backup set of the samples gathered by the rover are being stored for a potential return to Earth in the future.

In the event that the Perseverance rover is unable to deliver onboard samples directly to the Sample Retrieval Lander, two Sample Recovery Helicopters, based on the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, will be sent to Mars in 2028 as an alternative plan to collect the samples as part of the Mars Sample Return (MSR) program.

MSR is a collaborative effort between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) to collect and return samples of rock and soil from the Martian surface to Earth for scientific study. The program aims to study the Red Planet in greater detail than ever before, in order to better understand the planet's geology, geochemistry, and potential for past or present life.

Once the samples are returned to Earth, scientists will study them using a wide range of advanced equipment. The MSR program will pave the way for future manned missions to the planet.