Perseverance Rover Collects First Mars Sample for New Science Campaign

NASA's Perseverance rover has collected and stored the first sample of its newest science campaign on Mars, exploring the top of Jezero Crater's delta. The rock sample, called "Berea," is rich in carbonate, which can preserve fossilized life forms. Scientists hope to study Martian samples with powerful lab equipment on Earth to search for signs of ancient microbial life and to better understand the water cycle that has shaped the surface and interior of Mars. Perseverance has collected a total of 19 samples and three witness tubes, and it recently deposited 10 tubes as a backup cache on the Martian surface as part of the NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return campaign.