The Perseverance rover is finally performing science and not simply babysitting the Ingenuity helicopter. One of the activities Percy is tasked with is the collection of rock samples that it will seal in a tube and leave behind for the future Sample Return Mission to pick up and bring back to Earth. With that in mind, the rover attempted to take a sample this past week, and according to the data returned by Percy, no rock was collected. That’s not good.

Here’s how sampling is supposed to work: Percy has a hollow coring bit and a percussive drill. These are both on the end of the two-meter-long robotic arm. By all accounts, the drill and bit were both engaged in the first attempt, and the sample tube was processed as intended. However, images returned of the inside of the sample tube show no rock. Additionally, a probe is supposed to measure the volume of the sample in the tube, and it didn’t encounter any rock, either.

The Perseverance team is working to analyze all the data and find out just what happened. Jennifer Trosper, a project manager at JPL, stated: The initial thinking is that the empty tube is more likely a result of the rock target not reacting the way we expected during coring, and less likely a hardware issue with the Sampling and Caching System.

Remember, everyone, space is hard, and Mars keeps surprising us by not working as expected. We’re sure Percy and the team will get that first rock sample any day now.

More Information

NASA press release