Mars sample capsule re-entry test in Spaceflight Simulator
#space flightsimulator #space
#Mars #marssamplereturn

I have two more rock samples to show you! Here’s a look at Samples No. 14 and 15. I took these from a rock that my science team thinks has good potential to preserve signs of ancient life. Would be great to send samples like these back to Earth by #MarsSampleReturn !

If you’ve been following along, you know I’ve been busy in the last few weeks, setting down some very special items for possible return to Earth via #MarsSampleReturn .

How many lightsab…I mean sample tubes can you spot in my latest selfie?🔍

Full image: go.nasa.gov/3j5YcIw

As of today, I’ve ridden the Red Planet around our Sun one whole time. Highlights from my first Mars year:

✅Explore vast crater floor
✅Collect 18 samples
✅Examine ancient river delta
✅Start laying down samples for #MarsSampleReturn

Many adventures still ahead, so...onward!

The full set, in one view! Check out my new panorama, featuring all 🔟 of the sample tubes I recently set down as a backup for #MarsSampleReturn .

Trouble spotting them all? Improve your odds with this interactive viewer, and zoom in on the full image: go.nasa.gov/3K4kjtJ

News from NASA 🚀

Astronauts make updates to the International Space Station, Vice President Kamala Harris gives two former NASA Astronauts the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, and NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover finishes its sample depot for #MarsSampleReturn .

Experience launches and more, virtually: go.nasa.gov/3la9CeY

How can a rock be a treasure box?

When it's made up of smaller grains that were transported from places NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover will never be able to visit, offering insights into more areas of Mars.

With #MarsSampleReturn , we could study these samples up close.

Did life ever exist on Mars? How did it evolve?

#MarsSampleReturn could be transformative for the science community by enabling generations of scientists to study Mars rocks in labs on Earth and provide answers to these centuries-old questions.

“If you just invest a little time and a little effort in people, you will get so much more back.”

Dewayne Washington leads communications efforts for the #MarsSampleReturn campaign. This #BlackHistoryMonth , discover his leadership philosophies: go.nasa.gov/3xi9ugh

Crystals, carbonates, and hydration – oh my!💧

These igneous rock samples collected by NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover contain minerals that offer clues to Mars' watery past. #MarsSampleReturn is under development to bring those samples to Earth where scientists could study them up close.

What could an ancient river tell us about Mars?

This sample may give us insight into how water once flowed in Jezero Crater.

Water is a key part of life and #MarsSampleReturn could bring this sample to Earth for further study to see if microscopic life ever existed on Mars.

This sample collected by NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover contains minerals that can inform scientists about the history of water and rocks throughout the Jezero Crater watershed. #MarsSampleReturn could bring samples, including this one, to Earth for further study.

What happens if a spacecraft hits a rock when it lands on Mars?

#MarsSampleReturn teams at JPL are testing a variety of scenarios to see how the Sample Return Lander could withstand a 'stubbed toe' landing.

Another tube drop makes eight out of 10!

Reminder: this set I’m dropping is a backup. Plan A: I deliver the samples I’m still carrying (and others still to come) directly to #MarsSampleReturn . But if I can’t, this set alone would be worth sending back. mars.nasa.gov/msr

What would it take to land the heaviest spacecraft to ever touch down on the Red Planet?

#MarsSampleReturn teams are running tests to find the right footpads that would ensure a safe landing for the Sample Return Lander.

Engineers at JPL are designing the heaviest spacecraft to ever land on the Red Planet: the Sample Return Lander (SRL) for #MarsSampleReturn .

Here are two recent tests on the lander's legs 🔧 go.nasa.gov/3s7ML7n

Each sample NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover collects for #MarsSampleReturn is unique, and scientists are already excited about what they could tell us about whether life once existed on Mars.

Meet two samples – nicknamed 'Hazeltop' and 'Bearwallow' – and see what makes this pair special. 🔍

Meet another of the Mars samples that could be brought to Earth by #MarsSampleReturn . Hear from one of NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover’s scientists about “Roubion,” the planned rock core that turned out to be something else entirely!

See how my unique rock collection could be delivered to Earth by #MarsSampleReturn for closer study:

Spot the “polar bear!” One rock that NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover drilled while #SamplingMars had an odd-shaped crystal inside – a mineral that on Earth is good for preserving signs of ancient life. See why one of this rock’s samples could be fascinating to bring to Earth by #MarsSampleReturn .