NASA's Perseverance rover fails to collect Martian rock sample

NASA's Perseverance rover failed in its first attempt to collect a rock sample on Mars, but scientists were hopeful their Red Planet dig would eventually produce results.
"While this is not the 'hole-in-one' we hoped for, there is always risk with breaking new ground," Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement.
Friday's drilling test in a dried-up lake called Jezero Crater must now be studied in detail to determine what went wrong before the team can schedule the next sample collection attempt.
"I'm confident we have the right team working this, and we will persevere toward a solution to ensure future success," Zurbuchen added.
The rover carries 43 titanium sample tubes intended to gather rock and dust for future analysis on Earth.
Perseverance landed on Mars at the end of February in a risky manoeuvre. The development and construction of the rover cost around 2.5 billion dollars and lasted eight years.
Its mission is to seek traces of earlier microbial life on Mars and research its geology and climate.
A mini-helicopter was also brought to Mars with the rover. In mid-April it took off on Mars - marking the first flight on another planet.
Since then, the Ingenuity helicopter has completed 11 flights and its original 30-day mission has been extended.