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Engineers successfully completed a series of Mars Sample Return (MSR) Earth Entry System (EES) drop tests at the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR). A Manufacturing Demonstration Unit (MDU) of one potential design for the EES aeroshell was outfitted with sensors and dropped from a helicopter. The MSR program being planned by NASA and the European Space Agency proposes to return samples collected by NASA's Perseverance Mars rover and land them at UTTR inside the EES aeroshell. The drop test series was a follow up to tests conducted last year at UTTR with a .75-meter, less detailed, EES test article. In comparison, the MDU is a full-scale vehicle, 1.25 meters across, with a structure fabricated of materials similar to those that would be used for the EES in the actual mission. During the tests, the MDU was dropped from an altitude of 1,200 feet to provide time to reach the intended landing speed. "The MDU was very stable during descent - it didn't wobble around a lot, and it landed successfully, in the sense that there was no structural damage and it survived impact as expected," said Jim Corliss, MSR EES chief engineer. It's important for the aeroshell to land in a particular orientation, Corliss added, and the drop test indicated the full-scale MDU was stable during final descent, landing right on its nose as engineers intended. This test, along with another series of tests planned for later this year, will help researchers verify predictions of the EES landing performance and complete the characterization of the potential landing area at UTTR.

Since landing in February 2021, NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has sent back about 180,000 images of the Red Planet. After each communication downlink, images go directly to the Perseverance Raw Image page: go.nasa.gov/perseverance-raw-images. Members of the public can vote on their favorite images, and each week a new "Image of the Week" is selected. This video features the first 41 images of the week, giving a glimpse of Perseverance’s journeys throughout 2021. The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.

results of one of our abrasion attempts. The rock crumbled during the abrasion, preventing us from analyzing the spot. We had two unlucky abrasion attempts in this area before achieving success at the Skinner Ridge outcrop. Here we collected our first two rock core samples from the Delta, and since then we've collected two more. Perseverance drove to the Delta because it is a very promising place to look for signs of ancient life. We hope to learn more when a future mission brings these samples back to Earth. So far, we're excited by what we've collected. Downloads

NASA’s Remote Hypervelocity Test Laboratory is equipped with four 2-stage light gas guns; two 0.17-caliber (0.177-inch bore diameter), a 0.50-caliber (0.50" bore diameter), and a 1-Inch (1.00" bore diameter) gun at the facility. The 1-Inch range is 160 feet long, from gunpowder breech to the end of the target chamber outside.

The Simplified High Impact Energy Landing Device (SHIELD) is a lander concept being tested at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It could one day provide a new way for low-cost missions to land on Mars. Rather than rely on parachutes or retrorockets, SHIELD would include a collapsible, accordion-like base to absorb the energy of a landing. A full-size prototype of the base was tested on Aug. 12, 2022. The prototype was hurled at the ground from the top of a nearly 90-foot-tall (27-meter-tall) drop tower at JPL. A steel plate ensured the impact was even harder than what would be experienced on Mars. The design worked: After crushing against the steel plate at 110 mph (177 kph), several electronic components inside the SHIELD prototype, including a smartphone, surviv

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especially the exciting probability that we could find ancient life. For me personally, I come from an area in the US that looks like Mars. The Navajo Nation is a rocky desert landscape and it really reminds me how similar rocky planets in our solar system can be. Raquel: It's a very cool perspective to bring with you. Thank you for your time, Aaron. Raquel: Thank you. Raquel: And NASA is sending your name to Mars. So if you'd like to get a boarding pass like Aaron has right here, please follow the link below. And to keep up with the latest updates follow @nasajpl and @nasamars. Or take a deeper dive on the mission websites at mars.nasa.gov

Mars scientist Sylvain Piqueux of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory explains how images and data collected from NASA’s Viking, Phoenix, Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter missions can help scientists better understand the processes behind a winter on Mars. On the Red Planet, where both carbon dioxide and water can take the form of ice and frost, scientists study these frosty landscapes and unusual formations to understand the climate of Mars today and in its past. Analyzing the ice on Mars will also help future human missions. For more information on NASA's Mars missions, visit mars.nasa.gov. TRANSCRIPT Sylvain Piques: This time of the year many of us are dreaming of a winter wonderland here on Earth. But did you know that Mars, our closest neighbor in the solar system, also experiences snow, ice and a real winter? Let's go check it out with our NASA spacecraft. Marina Jurica: Let it snow takes on a whole new meaning on Mars. I'm Marina Jurica here with Silvain Piquex, and we are talking about snow, ice and frost on the red planet. Welcome, Sylvain. Now, I know it's really cold on Mars, but there's also snow and ice. Sylvain Piques: Mars is a very dry place, but if you go to the right locations, you will find water, ice, just like the one we have on Earth, but also CO2 ice or dry ice. Marina Jurica: Now, I know we can see frost at the poles, but can you see frost anywhere else on Mars? Sylvain Piques: In the 1970s, the Viking landers observed water frost forming on the ground far away from the poles. So we know that the frost similar to what we have on earth, forms in those landscapes on Mars. That's cool. We also know from Mars Odyssey that we have two kinds of frost. We can observe water frost in many other locations than what Viking observed, but also CO2 frost, something that we don't have on Earth. Sylvain Piques: It is extremely cold where you would find CO2 ice, something like -190 degrees Fahrenheit. The CO2 ice does not melt. Instead, it goes back from solid to gas directly in the atmosphere. That leads to the formation of really unique surface features. For example, we see spider shaped features, fans, geysers, Dalmatian spots, fried eggs, all kinds of unique objects that are really challenging to understand, but that are beautiful and unique to Mars. Marina Jurica: What else have our various Mars missions taught us about the snow on the Red planet? Sylvain Piques: A few things. First, the Phoenix Lander in this mission that arrived at Mars in 2008 observed beautiful frost landscapes that formed around it. The Phoenix Lander had a LIDAR. This is an instrument that shoots a laser up, and if there's a cloud or something that's falling down from the sky like snow, you get to return. Basically, you light up the sky and you can see when snow falls and falls. Sylvain Piques: And it did. The Phoenix lander was also able to scratch the surface and for the first time see these water ice just below the ground. This is the kind of water ice that astronauts could potentially use in the future when we go there. Marina Jurica: Thank you so much, Sylvia, for teaching us about the winter wonderland that's on Mars. Sylvain Piques: My pleasure. Marina Jurica: To get the latest updates, follow @nasajpl and @nasamars on social media, or take a deeper dive on the mission website at mars.nasa.gov.

Curiosity, which landed on Mars in 2012, is currently exploring a unique feature known as the “Marker Band” in the foothills of Mount Sharp. Rocks in this area show the clearest evidence yet for waves the mission has ever seen: rippled textures that formed billions of years ago, as waves on the surface of a shallow lake stirred up sediment on the lake bottom. Farther up the mountain, Curiosity can see more evidence of ancient water: wet landslides caused boulders and other debris to slip down into a valley. Curiosity caught a glimpse of this debris from a distance, but the rover's team hopes to get a closer look later in 2023. For more information on NASA's Curiosity rover, visit mars.nasa.gov/msl. TRANSCRIPT Ashwin Vasavada Curiosity Project Scientist The Curiosity rover has discovered lots of evidence of ancient lakes on Mars. But what we saw in this panorama surprised us! Curiosity is currently exploring Mount Sharp. You can see the upper part of the mountain here. The whole mountain is 3-miles-tall, but we’re down in the foothills. In 2022, the rover started exploring a unique feature on Mars called the Marker Band. It is a dark, thin layer of rock that stands out from the layers above and below it. We first saw it in orbiter images years before we launched. What created this winding layer of hard rock is a mystery. But Curiosity can help us understand what formed the Marker Band. We first discovered that the rocks within the Marker Band are really hard. Curiosity has faced some challenges drilling into them. But we might find a softer spot on the road ahead. Nearby we found an exciting scientific clue. These rippled textures were created billions of years ago by waves in a shallow lake. We’ve climbed through many lake deposits during our mission, but have never seen wave ripples this clearly. This was especially surprising since the area we’re in probably formed at a time when Mars was becoming more dry. Just above the rippled layer is another intriguing clue. These rocks have a very repetitive pattern in their spacing and thickness. We see lots of layers on Mars, but they’re rarely this regular. We’re not sure what caused this rhythmic pattern. Weather or climate cycles, like dust storms happening at periodic intervals, are possible explanations. Look at these gorgeous layered hills and cliffs that Curiosity is headed toward. They would be a national park on Earth! In the distance here, we can see debris in a valley called Gediz Vallis. This was washed down here by wet landslides very late in Mount Sharp’s history. This material is probably the most recent evidence of water that we’ll ever see. The landslide debris allows us to study layers higher up on Mount Sharp that we can’t reach since they're so far up the mountain. Curiosity has driven through some amazing scenery and we’ve learned so much about Mars’ ancient climate. But even after ten years, there’s much more to explore!

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter made history when it achieved the first powered, controlled flight on another planet – and it’s inspiring future aerial exploration of the Red Planet, too. In this Mars Report, Ingenuity Team Lead Teddy Tzanetos at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory provides an update on the helicopter’s achievements and future plans. This video shows testing for Sample Recovery Helicopters, which could serve as a backup retrieval system for Mars Sample Return, a campaign that intends to retrieve samples taken by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover for study here on Earth. These next-generation helicopters would be able to pick up and carry sample tubes in flight and also drive on the Martian surface. Another future helicopter concept is the Mars Science Helicopter, a proposed six-rotor “hexacopter” that would be about the size of the Perseverance rover. It would bring important payloads to areas of Mars that are not currently accessible. For more information on Ingenuity, go to: mars.nasa.gov/ingenuity For more information on the Mars Sample Retrieval Helicopters, go to: mars.nasa.gov/msr/

B-roll for media and public use. NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter made history when it achieved the first powered, controlled flight on another planet on April 19, 2021. As Ingenuity approaches its 50th successful flight, this reel highlights flights from the Perseverance rover’s WATSON and Mastcam-Z cameras, as well as Ingenuity’s color Return to Earth (RTE) camera and its black-and-white navigation camera. Also included is video of Ingenuity’s deployment, blade testing, the helicopter’s first flight with team celebrations, and scenic shots of the Martian landscape.

NASA's Perseverance rover is collecting a diverse set of scientifically curated samples that could help scientists answer the question of whether ancient life ever arose on the Red Planet. On Jan. 29, 2023, the Perseverance rover placed a 10th sample tube on the surface of Mars, providing the NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return campaign a backup option to recover rock and soil samples for potential return to Earth in the future. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA; WATSON images: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS; Mastcam-Z images: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

Did you know sound works differently on Mars than it does on Earth? Mars has a different atmosphere than Earth, so sounds on the Red Planet would sound a bit different and be more muffled. NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has two microphones that record sounds on the Red Planet. Since its landing in February 2021, the rover has captured sounds such as dust devils, the whir of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter in flight, and the sound of its wheels crunching over the rocky Martian terrain. Learn more about Perseverance: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020 For more sounds of Mars: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-sounds TRANSCRIPT [rising synthesizer drum hits] [uplifting cinematic instrumental music (115 BPM)] [music fades out] [high pitched bicycle bell rings 12 times] [quiet and muffled bicycle bell rings 12 times] [ocean waves crashing and seagulls squawking] [quiet and muffled ocean waves crashing and seagulls squawking] [uplifting cinematic instrumental music fades in] [music fades out] [loud, muffled gusts of wind blowing] [muffled, rumbling spinning helicopter propellers] [muffled metallic banging and crunching over rocks] [clear, with a slight echo Alex Mather’s voice, speaking] [muffled, quieter Alex Mather’s voice, speaking] [uplifting cinematic instrumental music fades in] [music crescendos and fades out]

Tina Seeger: Well, in the ’90s, they came up with names on the fly. And that’s why you got silly names like “Barnacle Bill,” “Indiana Jones.” But now we compile a list of names ahead of time based on different themes. We draw a grid on the map where each square is a different quadrant that represents a different theme. Curiosity has used names from South America, Scotland; Perseverance uses names from national parks around the world. Marina Jurica: How were these names decided? Tina Seeger: Names can come from anywhere in your imagination. Going back to Pathfinder, a rock looked like the face of Yogi Bear and got the name “Yogi Rock.” This meteorite is “Heat Shield Rock,” which sits near debris from Opportunity's heat shield. Drilled rock samples that Perseverance has dropped for collection, also have names like “Bearwallow,” which is named after a hiking trail in Shenandoah National Park. One of my favorite Curiosity targets is called “Bonanza King,” which is named after the Bonanza King Rock formation near Death Valley. Here we see an area that resembles a strip of bacon when viewed from space. So we jokingly called it the “Bacon Strip.” Since arriving at the site with Perseverance, we had to give it a name that fit the Shenandoah theme. So we chose “Hogwallow Flats.” Marina Jurica: If you could come up with a name for a rock, what would it be? Tina Seeger: I spent seven summers as the Night Skies ranger at Mount Rainier National Park, so I'd probably pick something named after Mount Rainier or a place that's special to me inside the park. Luckily, I got to map the Mount Rainier quadrant in Jezero Crater. So if we drive through it, that dream might become a reality. Marina Jurica: To get the latest updates on Curiosity and Perseverance, follow @NASAJPL and @NASAMars on social media. Or take a deeper dive at mars.nasa.gov.

Mars Sample Return will revolutionize our understanding of Mars by returning scientifically selected samples to Earth for study using the most sophisticated instrumentation around the world.

To test the solid rocket motor designs, the MAV team prepared development motors. This allowed the team to see how the motors will perform and if any adjustments should be made before they are built for the mission. The SRM2 development motor was tested on March 29, 2023, at the Northrop Grumman facility in Elkton, Maryland. Then, SRM1’s development motor was tested on April 7 at Edwards Air Force Base in California. SRM1’s test was conducted in a vacuum chamber that was cooled to minus-20 degrees Celsius (minus-4 degrees Fahrenheit) and allowed the team to also test a supersonic splitline nozzle, part of SRM1’s thrust vector control system. Most gimballing solid rocket motor nozzles are designed in a way that can’t handle the extreme cold MAV will experience, so the Northrop Grumman team had to come up with something that could: a state-of-the-art trapped ball nozzle featuring a supersonic split line. After testing and disassembling the SRM1 development motor, analysis showed the team’s ingenuity proved successful. “This test demonstrates our nation has the capacity to develop a launch vehicle that can successfully be lightweight enough to get to Mars and robust enough to put a set of samples into orbit to bring back to Earth,” said MAV Propulsion Manager Benjamin Davis at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “The hardware is telling us that our technology is ready to proceed with development.” In fact, the supersonic splitline nozzle has achieved the sixth of nine technology readiness levels – known as TRL-6 -- developed by NASA. TRL-1 is the starting point at which there is just an idea for a new technology, while TRL-9 means the technology has been developed, tested, and successfully used for an in-space mission. Davis said the supersonic splitline nozzle achieved TRL-6 through vacuum bench testing and full-scale hot fire testing in April. Results are being independently evaluated and will be confirmed in August. The supersonic splitline nozzle will also undergo qualification testing to make sure it can handle the intense shaking and vibration of launch, the near vacuum of space, and the extreme heat and cold expected during MAV’s trip. In addition to motor testing, the MAV team recently conducted its Preliminary Design Review, which was a four-day, in-depth review of MAV’s overall design. Mars Ascent Vehicle Project Manager Stephen Gaddis said MAV passed that review, which means the team can now focus on continuing to improve MAV before its Critical Design Review next summer. NASA Marshall is designing, building, and testing MAV along with the project’s two primary contractors, Lockheed Martin Space and Northrop Grumman. Lockheed Martin Space is the overall system integrator and provides multiple subsystems, and Northrop Grumman provides the first stage and second stage main propulsion systems. The Mars Sample Return Program is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. Learn more about the Mars Sample Return campaign.

As part of a NASA-ESA campaign to return rock and soil samples from Mars to Earth, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory are designing a lander which will be the heaviest spacecraft ever to touch down on the Red Planet. Engineers are dropping prototype lander legs and footpads to measure how they absorb the shock of hitting Martian ground. One test involves a model that is roughly one-third the size of the spacecraft’s final design. Meanwhile, in a sandbox, a full-size foot pad is being dropped into simulated Martian soil. Mars Sample Return will revolutionize our understanding of Mars by returning scientifically selected samples to Earth for study using the most sophisticated instrumentation around the world. For more information on Mars Sample Return, visit mars.nasa.gov/msr/

A dual rotor system for the next generation of Mars helicopters is tested in the 25-Foot Space Simulator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on Sept.15, 2023. Over three weeks, the carbon-fiber blades were spun up at ever-higher speeds and greater pitch angles to see if they would remain intact as their tips approached supersonic speeds. Longer and stronger than those used on NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, the blades reached Mach 0.95 during the test. The simulator’s vacuum chamber allows engineers to test spacecraft and components in conditions like those they would face on Mars. The inset at upper right shows the same test from the perspective of a second camera also located inside the chamber. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which manages the project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity’s development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Martin Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System. JPL is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California.

The first leg of Mars Sample Return is underway, as Perseverance collects rock cores and other Mars samples at its landing site, Jezero Crater. Meanwhile on Earth, mission teams are optimizing the designs of the follow-on spacecraft that would retrieve these rock samples and bring them to Earth. In this video, engineers use a special testing rig to focus on the full-scale footpad for the Sample Retrieval Lander. Finding the right size and characteristics for the lander footpads is critical to a safe touchdown. This lander would also serve as a launch platform for the Mars Ascent Vehicle rocket, which would carry the Mars samples collected by the Perseverance rover. The lander legs and footpad need to absorb the impact of the heaviest spacecraft (5,016 pounds or 2,275 kilograms) to touch down on the Red Planet. Considered one of the highest priorities by the scientists in the Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032, Mars Sample Return would be the first mission to return samples from another planet and provides the best and nearest opportunity to reveal the evolution of planets, life’s beginning in the solar system and the potential for ancient life. NASA is teaming with ESA (European Space Agency) on this important endeavor. Animation is contributed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the European Space Agency, Goddard Space Flight Center, and Marshall Space Flight Center. Learn more about Mars Sample Return: https://mars.nasa.gov/msr Learn more about the Sample Retrieval Lander: https://mars.nasa.gov/msr/spacecraft/sample-retrieval-lander/ TRANSCRIPT 3, 2, 1 [music] TESTING MARS SAMPLE RETURN SRL: SAMPLE RETRIEVAL LANDER - FINDING THE RIGHT FOOTPAD SIZE PATRICK DEGROSSE JR. MECHANICAL ENGINEER Patrick DeGrosse Jr.: At the highest level, this test bed's objective is to ensure vehicle safety during the touchdown event and also to ensure that we have a stable platform later on in the mission for launching the rocket. We're able to vary impact energy and velocity and the way we do that in practice is by changing the amount of weights that we have on our pendulum and how high we lift the pendulum. We use this data to inform the size of the footpad that we're planning to use in flight. We're trying to find the smallest footpad that does the job. 3, 2, 1, fire. This is the first prototype that has a swiveling element to it. We're just going to be maturing those designs going forward and just getting more and more flight-like. For more information on bringing Mars rocks to Earth: mars.nasa.gov/msr

How will we know if there is life on Mars? What geological clues can our Martian orbiters and rovers search for and collect samples of to return home to Earth? Stromatolites in the Pilbara region of Western Australia may hold the answer. In June of 2023, members of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, the Australian Space Agency, ESA (European Space Agency), and the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), joined together on an expedition to visit three incredible field locations containing stromatolites, fossils of ancient microbial life, and the oldest, most convincing evidence for life on Earth. Stromatolites are rock features that are usually dome or cone-shaped, and are caused by photosynthetic lifeforms precipitating minerals throughout their life cycle, while continuously climbing upwards towards their energy source of the sun. Over time these microbial communities begin to form layers of rock that rise up to form strange shapes in the geological record that cannot be formed in any other way. Could these structures be found on other planets? On Mars? As we search the solar system and beyond for biosignatures, or signs of life, it's crucial that we know as much as possible about the nature of life on Earth. Knowing how quickly life took hold on our planet, and how that life evolved over time, will help NASA scientists understand the possibilities for life on other worlds and how best to search for them. Mars and Earth may have had very similar pasts, and the surface of Mars shares many qualities with the stromatolite outcrops in Western Australia. If life could take a foothold on Earth 3.5 billion years ago, could it also have taken a hold on Mars? Learn more about the NASA Astrobiology Program: https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/

distance you can trace the tops of the natural levees that formed at the near and far banks of the river. The rover will pass this area on its way upstream, continuing toward this spot where the river carved through the crater wall. You can see the canyon on the horizon here. From there, Perseverance will be well positioned to head south and ascend this natural ramp that leads up and out of the crater. We’re lucky to have a route the rover can safely drive up the rim right where we need it. Starting the climb would mark a new and exciting phase of the mission: exploring rocks far older than those in Jezero and produced in an entirely different way. One tempting target are these light-colored rocks partway up the rim. They may have interacted with hot water in a hydrothermal environment – another exciting place to hunt for evidence of past life. Since finishing its study of the crater floor, Perseverance has been climbing the delta and piecing together the history of this once-watery environment. We've come a long way in nearly three years of exploring and collecting samples. But there’s still so much more to investigate. Follow the journey at mars.nasa.gov/perseverance.

one of Belva Crater from Flight 51. In addition, Ingenuity conducted several first-of-their-kind experiments on Martian wind and dust movement, which gave us new insight into the Martian atmosphere. What we've learned will help us design the next generation of Martian rotorcraft. We're testing more efficient blades. We’re also working on a Mars Science Helicopter concept that could potentially transport heavier payloads and take us to more exciting locations on Mars. When people look back at ingenuity, I really hope that they see how much this one small helicopter has done to elevate the limits of human achievement.

distance you can trace the tops of the natural levees that formed at the near and far banks of the river. The rover will pass this area on its way upstream, continuing toward this spot where the river carved through the crater wall. You can see the canyon on the horizon here. From there, Perseverance will be well positioned to head south and ascend this natural ramp that leads up and out of the crater. We’re lucky to have a route the rover can safely drive up the rim right where we need it. Starting the climb would mark a new and exciting phase of the mission: exploring rocks far older than those in Jezero and produced in an entirely different way. One tempting target are these light-colored rocks partway up the rim. They may have interacted with hot water in a hydrothermal environment – another exciting place to hunt for evidence of past life. Since finishing its study of the crater floor, Perseverance has been climbing the delta and piecing together the history of this once-watery environment. We've come a long way in nearly three years of exploring and collecting samples. But there’s still so much more to investigate. Follow the journey at mars.nasa.gov/perseverance.

Meet the 23rd Martian sample collected by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover – "Lefroy Bay," a sample taken from a region of Jezero Crater that is especially rich in carbonate, a mineral linked to habitability. When the rover used its abrasion bit to grind away the surface of the rock, cameras showed interesting and diverse textures. One of the intriguing minerals spotted was "hydrated silica," which scientists know has the highest potential to preserve signs of ancient life on Earth. Could it also have preserved signs of ancient life on Mars? As of early December 2023, the Perseverance rover has collected and sealed 23 scientifically selected samples inside pristine tubes as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign. The next stage is to get them to Earth for study. Considered one of the highest priorities by the scientists in the Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032, Mars Sample Return would be the first mission to return samples from another planet and provides the best opportunity to reveal the early evolution of Mars, including the potential for ancient life. NASA is teaming with ESA (European Space Agency) on this important endeavor. A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, as well as be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). Read about all the carefully selected samples: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-rock-samples Learn more about the Mars Sample Return campaign: https://mars.nasa.gov/msr TRANSCRIPT [music] MARS ROCK SAMPLES SAMPLE 23: LEFROY BAY TYPE: SEDIMENTARY LOCATION: TURQUOISE BAY, MARGIN UNIT SAMANTHA GWIZD GEOLOGIST & SCIENCE OPERATIONS - MARS PERSEVERANCE ROVER Samantha Gwizd: Sample 23 is called "Lefroy Bay," and we collected it from the "Turquoise Bay" rock on the margin unit. The Turquoise Bay rock is from this region on the margin unit that is especially carbonate rich. This alone compelled us to acquire a sample. And what we found was even more interesting when we abraded the Turquoise Bay rock, the abrasion patch showed us a lot of interesting and diverse textures and features that made this rock seem unique. One of the things we saw was the presence of hydrated silica. The exciting thing about hydrated silica is that on Earth it has the highest potential to preserve biosignatures. And so this is very exciting to us in our search for whether life ever existed on Mars. Lefroy Bay is currently stored on the rover and will hopefully be brought back to Earth. NASA LOGO For more information on Mars Rock Samples: mars.nasa.gov/mars-rock-sample

This time-lapse video, which has been sped up by 24 times, uses an engineering model of one of the instruments aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover to show how the instrument evaluates safe placement against a rock. If it’s determined to be safe, the rover places the instrument, called the Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL), close to the targeted rock for science observations. This test occurred at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on June 8, 2023. Located on the end of Perseverance’s robotic arm, PIXL scans postage stamp-size areas on rocks with an X-ray beam the width of a human hair, determining which elements are present. Scientists use this information to infer what minerals and chemicals are in a rock and help decide whether Perseverance should collect a rock core using its drill. The X-ray beam exits the circular opening at the center of PIXL; colored LED lights around that circle can light up a surface, allowing an internal camera to take images. Those images allow PIXL to autonomously place itself – very slowly and precisely – as little as 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) away from a surface to collect its data. A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover. For more about Perseverance: mars.nasa.gov/mars2020