Detailed Pics Of NASA Perseverance Rover Drilling Hole In Martian Rock 'Rochette'

Ever wondered what the inside of Martian rock looks like? NASA's Mars rover Perseverance may be able offer us a glimpse.

The Mars rover has been assessing rocks on Mars to find evidence of past life on the red planet. As part of this exercise, Perseverance drilled a hole into a briefcase-sized rock, now named "Rochette".?

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Rochette the Mars rock

Perseverance attempted its first series of drilling assignment recently, and NASA images from September 1 suggest that its coring mission may have been successful after a previous failure in August.Perseverance was launched in July 2020 and is currently in its infancy stage on Mars.?

NASA/JPL-Caltech

It is fitted with a series of tools to help with exploration on the planet, including a tool called Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT). According to NASA, this is a "high-speed grinder" with brushes that help remove outer layer of rocks and clear dust.?

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In addition, Perseverance comes with a Gaseous Dust Removal Tool (GDRT) to clear away dust.Earlier, the attempt went awry after the sample tube didn't record any sample but was sealed prematurely.?

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Now, NASA used its Mastcam-Z camera to check the tube for the sample before sealing it away for good.?

'Percuss to ingest'

After collecting the sample, Perseverance literally shakes it down! Called "percuss to ingest", the process is undertaken to get rid of extra residue from the tube. But NASA isn't too keen on putting the sample in storage prematurely.?

NASA/JPL-Caltech

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To this end, the space agency observed the tube in better lighting conditions with more sunlight to ascertain whether the sample actually contains rocks.It looks like the tube most probably got the sample it wanted.?

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