NASA's Perseverance Rover gathered a Martian rock from Jezero Crater that may hold ancient life.
This is NASA and ESA's first Mars Sample Return sample. (ESA). This tube won't be studied in an earthly lab for another 10 years.
For nearly a year, Perseverance has searched Mars for old bacteria and organics. It has finished its first of four search campaigns
Focusing on the crater floor and base of the Neretva Vallis delta, and has begun its second campaign, searching the top of the delta for worthy rocks.
The drill-cored rock in its 16th jar is its 19th sample. Martian atmosphere and "regolith" are in other tubes.
Perseverance will hold these 19 samples until a Mars robotic rover comes. The lander's robotic arm will put the tubes in a tiny rocket's containment capsule
The rover dumped duplicates of 10 of the 19 samples it has collected so far at a special spot at the foot of the delta in case Perseverance runs out of power and cannot carry them to the lander
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