Perseverance (rover)

Perseverance is a Mars rover launched July 30, 2020. It arrived in the Jezero Crater on Mars February 18, 2021. On the same day, it captured its first picture of Mars. The rover carried, among other things, an oxygen generator, 17 different cameras and the first ever helicopter to be flown on Mars, Ingenuity.

A selfie showcasing the rover, and the helicopter, Ingenuity.

In April 2021, the oxygen generator in the Perseverance created oxygen from carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere.^[1]

On August 6, 2021, the first sample-collection experiment was attempted, and failed. The drill hole was successful, but later data revealed that the rock had crumbled, leaving no core to collect. ^[2]

References

1. Potter, Sean (2021-04-21). "NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Extracts First Oxygen from Red Planet". NASA. Archived from the original on 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
2. Jandura, Louise (2021-08-11). "Assessing Perseverance's First Sample Attempt". NASA. Retrieved 2021-08-11.