After it initially can not capture a rock sample, NASA has confirmed that perseverance happened in its second attempt. The space agency has verified that a nucleus of rochest rock pencil width is trapped safely in the Rover sample tube tube, ready to be processed and sent back to Earth, CNET has reported.

After NASA initially thought that it had ranked the first show last month, a subsequent check showed the empty sample tube. That created something of a mystery, with scientists wondering where the rock could have gone. Finally, NASA determined that the particular sample that was trying to collect was actually too dusty to be collected. “The hardware realized as ordered, but the rock did not cooperate this time,” JPL engineers said at that time.

This time, NASA was not ahead of itself. While the photos taken on September 1, shortly after the operation showed clearly the rock in the collector, NASA wanted to be “extra certain” that was stored successfully. After an operation to acknowledge the bit (and ingest the sample), new images were taken, but the position of the sun made it difficult to see the rock.

This Saturday, however, the Sun cooperated and the sample inside is clearly visible. The images coincide with the previous photos of a grinding point in a nearby sample section, revealing a rusty rock, possibly sedimentary that could show the presence of iron along with olivine and other minerals that may have precipitate water, according to Steven From the University of the State of Arizona. Ruff (through his boy from the YouTube channel of him).

Now, perseverance should process, seal and eventually store the sample somewhere on the surface of Mars. Then, it will repeat the process and will collect as many samples as possible, leaving them scattered on the surface. NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) will send a Lander Martian and a collection of samples Rover to the same location near Jezero Crater to gather those tubes and place them on a rocket destined to Earth.

The only challenge is that said Rover and Rocket have not been built yet and do not even have a finished design. However, the agencies involved must launch it to Mars in 2026, with the arrival there for 2028. They do not expect to receive the samples until 2031, and it is sufficient to say, all those phases of the perseverance project will be a great challenge.