NASA officials said that during the Perseverance rover’s operation on Mars, a repository of samples collected for the first time outside of Earth was created.
Known as the Three Forks, the site currently contains 10 tubes filled with rock samples collected by Perseverance in less than six weeks. To ensure the samples were safely removed and delivered to Earth, NASA and the European Space Agency carefully planned the mission route.
One sample from each pair was stored in the Three Forks warehouse, which is a backup in case the samples could not be delivered by the rover to the landing craft.
In such a scenario, a pair of helicopters will be sent to the Martian surface to collect samples.
Keep in mind that despite the notable success, the mission of Perseverance will continue. NASA representatives have already stated that they are looking forward to new discoveries that the rover will make during its journey.
Source: Port Altele
