No rock yet as NASA’s Perseverance rover begins drilling on Mars

NASA’s
Perseverance Rover started drilling into the surface of Mars but failed in its
initial attempt to collect rock samples from the planet that is supposed to be
analysed by scientists on Earth. The American space agency released images on
Friday, showing a little hole – the first ever dug by the rover on the planet.

However, it
failed to collect a sample, as data sent back to Earth showed no evidence that
rock has actually been gathered. “My first drill hole on Mars! Collecting and storing rock samples is a big and complex task, and this is a huge step. Next step: processing,” NASA said on its official Twitter handle for the rover.

“While this is not the ‘hole-in-one’ we hoped for, there is always risk with breaking new ground,” AFP quoted associate administrator for NASA’s science mission directorate saying in a statement.

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“I’m confident we have the right team working this, and we will persevere toward a solution to ensure future success,” he added.

The
drilling is the first step in a process that is slated to take 11 days as the
rover looks for signs of ancient microbial life that may be preserved in
ancient lakebeds. The data is also expected to help scientists better
understand the geology of the Red Planet.

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The mission
took off from Florida over a year ago, with the rover landing at the Jazero
Crater site in Mars on February 18. The rover, around the size of a large family
car, has been tasked with probing the crater – which scientists believe to be
the site of an ancient lake around 3.5 billion years ago with conditions that
could support life – for signs of alien microbes.

NASA has
plans of bringing 30 samples back to Earth till the 2030s for analysis by
instruments that are much more advanced than those that can be taken to Mars right
now.