NASA Mars rover roughs up a rock, peers at ‘something no one’s ever seen’ – CNET [CNET]

NASA’s Perseverance rover where it’s examining an intriguing layered rock in the Jezero Crater. The rover used an abrading tool on the end of its robotic arm to rough up the surface of the rock with an eye on deciding whether it’s worth collecting a sample from it.

“Peering inside to look at something no one’s ever seen. I’ve abraded a small patch of this rock to remove the surface layer and get a look underneath,” the rover team tweeted on Tuesday. “Zeroing in on my next target for sampling Mars.”

Peering inside to look at something no one’s ever seen. I’ve abraded a small patch of this rock to remove the surface layer and get a look underneath. Zeroing in on my next target for #SamplingMars.

More pics here for fellow rock lovers: https://t.co/Ex1QDo3eC2 pic.twitter.com/qfIRs3MYyI

— NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) November 9, 2021

The phrase “something no one’s ever seen” is profound. NASA has been landing machines on Mars since the 1970s, but each mission reveals new images and information. So when Perseverance rubs the surface off a rock that may tie into Mars’ history of water, it’s showing us something unique. It’s a glimpse at a previously unexplored place.

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