Back to the grind Our Perseverance Mars rover collects a sample from an outcrop the science team calls “Berea” using a coring bit on the end of its robotic arm. These images were taken by one of the rover’s front hazard cameras. A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology – the search for signs life beyond Earth. The samples of Martian rock and dust that Perseverance takes are intended to be collected and returned by future missions in partnership with EuropeanSpaceAgency for analysis on Earth. Image descriptions: 1. A short video clip shows NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover collecting a sample from a rocky outcrop. Tailings pile up around the coring bit as it grinds into the rock. 2. A wider view of the rocky outcrop the Perseverance science team calls “Berea” after the NASA Mars rover extracted a rock core (right) and abraded a circular patch (left). Part of the rover's wheel can be seen in the lower left. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech #NASA #NASAJPL #NASAPersever...