Perseverance Views Rock Core Sample Hole 'Bunsen Peak'

This captivating image captures a rock dubbed "Bunsen Peak," showcasing NASA's Perseverance Mars rover as it extracted its 21st rock core (left) and abraded a circular patch (right) for compositional analysis.

Taken on March 11, 2024, the 1,088th Martian day of the mission, by Perseverance's Mastcam-Z camera system, the mosaic comprises eight individual images. To provide scale, the abrasion patch measures approximately 2 inches (5 centimeters) in diameter.

The animation, made up of 33 images from one of the rover's front hazard cameras, has been cranked up to 390 times its original speed.

One big goal of Perseverance's mission on Mars is to hunt for signs of ancient microbial life, which is pretty exciting stuff! The rover's also tasked with checking out the planet's geology and past climate, all to help pave the way for us humans to explore Mars one day. Plus, it's the first mission to scoop up and stash Martian rock and regolith.

Looking ahead, NASA, teaming up with the European Space Agency (ESA), plans to send spacecraft to Mars to scoop up these sealed samples from the surface and bring them back to Earth for some serious study.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech