The machine managed to collect samples, but failed to fill the tube.
In the Perseverance rover > new problems arose with collecting Martian soil samples. As reported by Space.com, on October 8-9, the rover collected 14 rock samples, but could not place them in a special tube.
Mission specialists noted that the sample is stored in a special compartment of the rover, but it is necessary to discover how it can be moved into a tube and sealed. Soil samples are being collected to be sent back to Earth, expected to happen in 2023.
Also read: Ancient microbes caused climate change on Mars that could not survive
If all goes according to plan plan, Perseverance will deliver the sample tubes to a dedicated module. A small rocket mounted on the module will launch them into Mars orbit, where they will be picked up by the vehicle and delivered to Earth.
Perseverance collects two samples of each species. The idea is to keep one of the samples on board and the other in special “pockets” in the Lake Crater. If the rover has trouble delivering samples to the lander, their backups can be picked up by helicopters currently under development.
They will be similar to the Ingenuity helicopter that arrived on Mars with Perseverance. It has already completed 33 flights on the Red Planet, six more than originally planned.
But during Ingenuity's latest flight, something unexpected also happened: a piece of debris fell from one of the helicopter's legs. The helicopter landed safely, the investigation into the causes of the incident continues.
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Recall that NASA endowed the Perseverance rover with the ability to independently select targets for sample collection, which should accelerate the development of science on Mars. Without direct guidance from Earth, the rover “shot” two targets with its SuperCam instrument.
