NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has been collecting rock samples since its landing in February 2021. These samples will be returned to Earth for in-depth study, providing scientists with the opportunity to answer fundamental questions about Mars’ early evolution, potential for ancient life, and climate.
The Mars Sample Return mission is a crucial step in planetary science, aiming to bring back pieces of another planet for the first time. Partnering with the European Space Agency (ESA), NASA is working towards unlocking mysteries that have yet to be conceived.
A new video montage showcases high-resolution imagery from Perseverance’s CacheCam, capturing rock cores inside the rover’s sample tubes before they are sealed. The images reveal a record of each core drilled by the rover between its landing and December 2024, as it climbed to the rim of Jezero Crater.
Source: https://science.nasa.gov/resource/perseverance-mars-rock-sample-montage