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This image taken by NASA's Perseverance rover on Sept. 7, 2021, PDT (Sept. 8, EDT), shows two holes where the rover's drill obtained chalk-size samples from rock nicknamed "Rochette."
Perseverance takes a photo of one of a sample tube on the Martian terrain.
Image taken was taken by the Mars Perseverance rover after collecting the rock sample 6 at Robine. The image shows a rock with a drillhole and abrasion.

Mars Rock Samples

Marvel over NASA’s Mars rock collection. Each of these rock samples was selected by the Perseverance Mars rover team with plans to return them to scientific labs on Earth for in-depth study.

Learn About the Mars 2020 Mission about Mars Rock Samples

Samples Collected

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Witness Tubes

3 of 5

Zoom in on the Perseverance rover's Martian rock sample collection with this unique view.
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Of the 43 tubes Perseverance brought to Mars, 38 are for collecting samples, and five are “witness tubes” designed to document the cleanliness of its sampling system throughout the mission. Three witness tubes have been sealed: on Sol 160 (June 22, 2021), Sol 499 (July 16, 2022), and Sol 586 (Oct. 14, 2022). The third witness tube, sealed at the “Amalik” sampling location, was placed in the rover’s backup sample depot.

Roubion

Sample No. 1

Feature Name: Roubion
Sample Type: Atmospheric
Sol Sealed: 164
Date Sealed: Aug. 6, 2021
Rock Type: n/a
Sample Height: n/a
Current Location: Sample Depot

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Image taken was taken by the Mars Perseverance rover after collecting the rock sample 1 at Roubion.
NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of the area in front of it using its onboard Front Left Hazard Avoidance Camera A. This image was acquired on Aug. 6, 2021 (Sol 164) at the local mean solar time of 14:22:08.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Sample No.Date SealedSol SealedSample NameFeature NameSampling LocationCurrent LocationScience Notes Sample TypeSample Height
cm inch		Rock Type
1Aug. 6, 2021164RoubionRoubionPolygon ValleySample DepotPDFAtmosphericn/a           n/an/a
2Sept. 6, 2021194MontdenierRochetteArtuby RidgeSample DepotPDFRock Core5.98         2.35Igneous
3Sept. 8, 2021196MontagnacRochetteArtuby RidgePerseverance RoverPDFRock Core6.14         2.42Igneous
4Nov. 15, 2021262SaletteBracSouth SéítahPerseverance RoverPDFRock Core6.28         2.47Igneous
5Nov. 24, 2021271CoulettesBracSouth SéítahSample DepotPDFRock Core3.30         1.30Igneous
6Dec. 22, 2021298RobineIssoleSouth SéítahPerseverance RoverPDFRock Core6.08         2.39Igneous
7Jan. 31, 2022337MalayIssoleSouth SéítahSample DepotPDFRock Core3.07         1.21Igneous
8March 7, 2022371Ha’ahóni (aka “Hahonih”)SidOctavia E. Butler Landing / Ch’ał outcropPerseverance RoverPDFRock Core6.50         2.56Igneous
9March 13, 2022377Atsá (aka “Atsah”)SidOctavia E. Butler Landing / Ch’ał outcropSample DepotPDFRock Core6.00         2.36Igneous
10July 7, 2022490Swift RunSkinner RidgeFan FrontPerseverance RoverPDFRock Core6.69         2.63Sedimentary
11July 12, 2022495SkylandSkinner RidgeFan FrontSample DepotPDFRock Core5.85         2.30Sedimentary
12July 27, 2022509HazeltopWildcat RidgeFan FrontPerseverance RoverPDFRock Core5.97         2.35Sedimentary
13Aug. 3, 2022516BearwallowWildcat RidgeFan FrontSample DepotPDFRock Core6.24         2.46Sedimentary
14Oct. 2, 2022575ShuyakAmalikFan FrontPerseverance RoverPDFRock Core5.55         2.19Sedimentary
15Nov. 16, 2022619MageikAmalikFan FrontSample DepotPDFRock Core7.36         2.90Sedimentary
16Nov. 29, 2022631KukaklekHidden HarborFan FrontPerseverance RoverPDFRock Core4.97         1.96Sedimentary
17Dec. 2, 2022634Atmo MountainObservation MountainFan FrontPerseverance RoverPDFRegolith5.30         2.09Likely mixed sedimentary and igneous grains
18Dec. 7, 2022639Crosswind LakeObservation MountainFan FrontSample DepotPDFRegolith5.30         2.09Likely mixed sedimentary and igneous grains
19March 30, 2023749MelynBereaUpper FanPerseverance RoverRock Core6.04         2.38Sedimentary
20June 23, 2023832Otis PeakEmerald LakeUpper FanPerseverance RoverRock Core5.77         2.27Sedimentary
21Sept. 15, 2023913Pilot MountainDream LakeUpper FanPerseverance RoverRock Core6.00         2.36Sedimentary
22Sept. 25, 2023923Pelican PointHans Amundsen Memorial WorkspaceMargin UnitPerseverance RoverRock Core6.10         2.40Sedimentary
23Oct. 21, 2023949Lefroy BayTurquoise BayMargin UnitPerseverance RoverRock Core4.70         1.85Sedimentary
24March 12, 20241088Comet GeyserBunsen PeakMargin UnitPerseverance RoverRock Core5.78         2.28Silica-cemented Carbonate
25July 21, 20241215Sapphire CanyonCheyava FallsNeretva VallisPerseverance RoverRock Core6.2         2.44Sedimentary
26January 28, 20251401Silver MountainShallow BayCrater Rim (Witch Hazel Hill)Perseverance RoverRock Core2.91

Witness Tubes

Witness tube in Perseverance
This series of images shows NASA’s Perseverance rover inspecting and sealing a “witness” sample tube on June 21, 2021 (the 120th sol, or Martian day, of the mission), as it prepares to collect its first sample of Martian rock and sediment.
NASA/JPL-Caltech

As part of its search for signs of ancient life on Mars, Perseverance is the first rover to bring a sample caching system to the Red Planet that will package promising samples for return to Earth by a future mission. This series of images shows NASA’s Perseverance rover inspecting and sealing a “witness” sample tube on June 21, 2021 (the 120th sol, or Martian day, of the mission), as it prepares to collect its first sample of Martian rock and sediment.

Witness tubes are similar to the sample tubes that will hold Martian rock and sediment, except they have been preloaded with a variety of materials that can capture molecular and particulate contaminants. They are opened on the Martian surface to “witness” the ambient environment near sample collection sites. With samples returned to Earth in the future, the witness tubes would show whether Earth contaminants were present during sample collection. Such information would help scientists tell which materials in the Martian samples may be of Earth origin.

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