Analysis:
Perseverance’s first successful coring was a crucial step in its already historic mission. The samples the rover takes from Mars will eventually be sent back to Earth to be studied, but acquiring them is anything but simple.

NASA scientists spent days pouring over data from Perseverance’s previous attempt at coring a rock. Unlike the Curiosity Rover, Perseverance collects intact samples of rocks, which can give more insight into how areas on Mars were formed than rocks sitting on the surface. Perseverance’s improved manipulation skills make coring the unaltered rocks possible. Successfully coring rocks is a key part of Perseverance’s mission, and brings NASA a step closer to the long-term goal of bringing those samples back to Earth. - Brianna Wessling