Mars Sample Return: Depositing Samples for Perseverance and a Sample Depot in the Jezero Test Area, at Arizona State University

Perseverance drills and stores rock samples in its belly as it rolls around on Mars; by depositing some of them in what NASA calls a sample depot, it will create a cache of back-up samples that will be safe if something goes catastrophically wrong as the rover continues to explore Jezero. “It guarantees that a scientifically high-value sample collection will be available for Earth return,” Wadhwa said on 16 December, at a press briefing at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

Depositing the cores is an early step toward the first-ever Mars sample return. “We’re coming up on this really big and exciting milestone,” says Meenakshi Wadhwa, a planetary scientist at Arizona State University in Tempe and NASA’s principal scientist for the Mars sample return.

The depot will include samples of volcanic rocks, which will allow scientists to determine the absolute age of rocks from a particular place on Mars for the first time. One sample of Martian dirt, one of the Martian atmosphere and one witness tube will be combined into one collection to see if any Earth contaminants were present.

The zigzag tubes will be dropped in an intricate layout that will allow for enough space around the drop zones to make sure the helicopter can pick them up.

“The samples for this depot — and the duplicates held aboard Perseverance — are an incredible set representative of the area explored during the prime mission,” said Meenakshi Wadhwa, the Mars Sample Return program principal scientist, in a statement.

The Arizona State University School of Earth and Space Exploration has a well-stocked collection of rocks that record at least two and possibly four different styles of aqueous alteration and a witness tube.

Sample Return Mission Plans for the Sample Retrieval Lander and Space Missions for Mars and the Earth Return Orbiter with the Mars Ascent Vehicle

The Sample Retrieval Lander will carry two sample recovery helicopters, similar in style to the Ingenuity helicopter currently on Mars — rather than a fetch rover.

Engineers thought Ingenuity performed well. The helicopter is about to perform its 37th flight and has survived over a year past its expected life span. In case Perseverance can’t bring the samples back, the little choppers will fly away from the lander, use arms to retrieve them and bring them back.

“Up to now, Mars missions required just one good landing zone; we need 11,” said Richard Cook, Mars Sample Return program manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, in a statement.

The Sample Retrieval Lander also carries the Mars Ascent Vehicle — the first rocket that will ever launch from the Martian surface, with the samples tucked safely inside. The spacecraft is set to launch from Mars in 2031. The Earth Return Orbiter will be launched in the mid-2020s to rendezvous with the Mars Ascent Vehicle.

The Earth Return Orbiter will then head back to our planet. Once the spacecraft is close to Earth, it will release a vehicle containing the cache of samples, and that spacecraft will touch down on Earth in 2033.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/16/world/perseverance-rover-mars-depot-scn/index.html

The Delta Top Campaign: Exploring the ancient river deposits in Jezero crater with the Perseverance rover and the Delta Tomography

Perseverance will move into its new science operations, called the Delta Top Campaign, in the new year. The rover will reach the upper surface of the delta in February, after having climbed the bank of an ancient river which emptied into Jezero crater billions of years ago.

Art Thompson said in a statement that nothing changes from the perspective of Perseverance’s project manager at JPL. “However, once the table is set at Three Forks, we’ll head to the top of the delta. The science team is going to take a good look around there.

The purpose of the Delta Top campaign is to give us a glimpse of the geological process beyond the walls of Jezero crater.

“Billions of years ago a raging river carried debris and boulders from miles beyond the walls of Jezero. We are going to explore the ancient river deposits and collect samples from their long traveled boulders and rocks.