First Martian rock sample, NASA Rover

INA - SOURCES 

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover team announced on Thursday that it has successfully cored its first Mars rock. 

A September 1 image of the long, oddly-shaped and dusty Mars rock provided in a release from the agency showed the circular drill hole.

NASA said that initial images downlinked after the events showed an intact sample present in the sample tube after coring. 

"However, additional images taken after the arm completed sample acquisition were inconclusive due to poor sunlight conditions," it said, noting that the rover would obtain additional imagery of the sample tube with better lighting before the processing continues.

"Although the Perseverance mission team is confident that the sample is in the tube, images in optimal lighting conditions will confirm its presence," NASA wrote. 

"The project got its first cored rock under its belt, and that’s a phenomenal accomplishment," Jennifer Trosper, project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said. "The team determined a location, and selected and cored a viable and scientifically valuable rock. We did what we came to do. We will work through this small hiccup with the lighting conditions in the images and remain encouraged that there is sample in this tube." 

The initial images showed the end of a cored rock within the sample tube before "Percy" began a procedure called "percuss to ingest." 

The step vibrates the drill bit and tube five times, which can help a sample slide down farther into the tube and can ride the tube's lip of residual material.