NASA’s Perseverance rover might have marked its name in history books. The rover might have collected its first Mars rock sample that could someday be brought back to Earth. However, there’s still some doubt.

The rover’s previous attempt went in vain when it ended up with an empty tube when the sample crumbled. The second attempt at collecting a different rock seems promising. Images beamed back to Earth show a rock core tucked into place as planned, but the space agency’s confirmation is awaited.

NASA yet to declare success

NASA shared a look at the sample, but didn’t declare the success of the task, saying that images were taken after an arm move “are inconclusive due to poor lighting.” Perseverance will capture some more close-ups to figure out what’s going on.

“Sampling Mars is underway. I’ve drilled into my rock target, and my team will be looking at more data and images to confirm if we were able to get and retain an intact core,” the ground team tweeted with a picture of the rock target.

The rover is packed with 43 sample tubes, one of which is full of Martian atmosphere after the first attempt. The space agency is aiming for another mission to retrieve these tubes for the Red Planet and bring them back to Earth for further research. It’s Perseverance’s job to fill these tubes with more geologic finds.

Inspection done before drilling samples

Successfully filing and stashing a tube with rock samples on Mars is a crucial task that will show the sampling system is working properly. The target rock is dubbed “Rochette” and the rover team inspected it by grinding away a bit of the outer surface to get a good look before drilling for samples.

After the first failed attempt, the rover team investigated the reason why the rover failed to collect the sample and found the type of rock was the problem. After further investigation, it was confirmed that the rock was too powdery to produce a neat core that could be sealed. Let’s see if the new sample adds any value to the study.