On September 7th 2021, NASA announced that its Preserverance Rover had successfully captured its first sample of Martian rock. The actual grab, which was the second of two, took place in an attemp that took place on September 1st. The first attempted sample was lost back in August when the rock that was gathered crumbled into dust. The second sample was taken from a much sterner piece of rock that the scientists nicknamed Rochette.
The sample is the first of many, which will be stored inside Preserverance until a future mission will go to Mars and retrieve them. Peserverance landed on Mars in February 2021, in the Jezero Crater meterorite impact zone. This area is believed to possess basalt rock, which is evidence of volcanic activity. Scientist hope that an exploration of this area may also reveal layers, that may have been caused by wind and/or water erosion, or volcanic erruptions.
