Mars Rover Perseverance Collects First Rock Sample, Confirms NASA

After a first attempt at taking a sample in August failed, NASA's Perseverance rover finally succeeds in collecting its first rock sample on Mars.

NASA has confirmed that its Perseverance rover has succeeded in collecting its first rock sample on Mars. I've got it! With better lighting down the sample tube, you can see the rock core I collected is still in there. Up next, I'll process this sample and seal the tube. #SamplingMarsLatest images: https://t.co/Ex1QDo3eC2pic.twitter.com/gumqpmoXBW "I've got it!" the space agency tweeted in the early hours of Monday, alongside a photograph of a rock core slightly thicker than a pencil inside a sample tube. NASA said last week it thought it had accomplished the feat, but poorly-lit photographs taken by the rover meant that the team operating the mission were not certain whether the sample had stayed inside its tube.