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This illustration shows a concept for multiple robots that would team up to ferry to Earth samples of rocks and soil being collected from the Martian surface by NASA's Mars Perseverance rover.

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By signing up to become an MSR Science Community Member, you will receive:

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Discover More Topics From NASA

Mars Sample Return: Science Overview

Image taken was taken by the Mars Perseverance rover after collecting the rock sample 12 at Hazeltop. There is a drill hole and a nearby abrasion patch displayed in this photo.

Mars Rock Samples

This image taken by NASA's Perseverance rover on Sept. 7, 2021, PDT (Sept. 8, EDT), shows two holes where the rover's drill obtained chalk-size samples from rock nicknamed "Rochette."

Mars Sample Return

Mars 2020: Perseverance Rover

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took this selfie on July 23, 2024, the 1,218th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. To the left of the rover near the center of the image is the arrowhead-shaped rock nicknamed “Cheyava Falls,” which has features that may bear on the question of whether Mars was home to microscopic life in the distant past. The small dark hole in the rock is where Perseverance took a core sample, which is now in a sample tube stored in the rover’s belly. The white patch to the right of the hole is where the rover used an abrasion tool to clear away the top surface, allowing science instruments to study the rock’s composition.