NASAs Perseverance rover on Mars has begun scraping away at an interesting set of layered rocks that might have formed in liquid water.” Peering inside to take a look at something nobodys ever seen,” Perseverance rover objective supervisors wrote in a Twitter upgrade Tuesday (Nov. 9). “Ive abraded a little spot of this rock to remove the surface layer and get a look underneath. Zeroing in on my next target for #SamplingMars.” The rover has currently gathered two samples on its larger hunt to look for ancient microorganisms on Mars. The goal is to get a big set of these collections to place into a cache, and leave for a future sample-return objective to choose up.In photos: NASAs Mars Perseverance rover mission to the Red PlanetImage 1 of 3These close-up photos reveal the drill marks mark on a layered Mars rock under study by NASAs Perseverance rover for possible sample collection in November 2021. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) Image 2 of 3These close-up pictures reveal the drill marks mark on a layered Mars rock under study by NASAs Perseverance rover for possible sample collection in November 2021. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) Image 3 of 3These close-up photos show the drill marks mark on a layered Mars rock under research study by NASAs Perseverance rover for possible sample collection in November 2021. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) Peering inside to look at something no ones ever seen. Ive abraded a little spot of this rock to eliminate the surface layer and get a look beneath. Zeroing in on my next target for #SamplingMars. More pictures here for fellow rock enthusiasts: https://t.co/Ex1QDo3eC2 pic.twitter.com/qfIRs3MYyINovember 9, 2021See morePerseverance, which has been in remaining in location because a solar conjunction momentarily disturbed interactions last month, is also on a bigger mission to try to find proof on the floor of Jezero Crater and to define the geology of the location, to name a few duties.The rover hasnt moved very far because solar conjunction, with the odometer remaining at 1.66 miles (2.67 km) for numerous weeks. However its mission partner, the Ingenuity drone, has actually already taken off again. Ingenuitys aerial images are meant to supply a broader context for Perseverances work as the rover zeroes in on prospective targets of interest.Ingenuity finished its 15th Martian flight on Nov. 6 as it continues an extended mission testing out flying in altering conditions on the Red Planet, and helping a land-bound rover with its work.Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook..
