NASA's Mars rover Perseverance in trouble

NASA's Perseverance rover ran into a minor problem after some debris got into its instrument while collecting rock samples. 

Trouble in the last days of December happened, when the rover carried out its sixth sample collection on the red planet. On this occasion, it failed to place the samples perfectly in the designated collection tube, as debris was placed where it should not have been. Fortunately, nothing irreversible has happened, but they are facing a serious challenge: if they fail to remove the debris, future sampling will be compromised.

I recently captured my sixth rock core and have encountered a new challenge. Seems some pebble-sized debris is obstructing my robotic arm from handing off the tube for sealing/storage. More images and data to come. #SamplingMars takes perseverance.

Blog: https://t.co/flabIslR21 pic.twitter.com/sfaxuu0HNG

- NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) January 8, 2022

“This is the first time that we are doing debris removal and therefore we will need time to remove the gravel in a controlled and orderly manner" said Louise Jandura, the mission's sampling manager. It is planned that the robot will pick up additional material to be collected and transported back to Earth in the coming years by a joint US-European mission.

The Perseverance rover is part of NASA's exploration programme. Launched in July 2020, the vehicle landed in the Jezero crater last February with the aim of studying the geology and climate history of the celestial body to provide evidence of the find that life existed on the red planet.

Researchers believe that billions of years ago, this area may have been a lake fed by rivers in the area. In mid-October, the rover succeeded in confirming that the Jezero crater was once a with water was a lake full of.