Small unexpected event on Mars: the robotic arm of the Perseverance rover is momentarily blocked by some pebbles that would have deposited in its mechanisms during the collection of the sixth sample of Martian rock, which took place last December 29.
This was announced by NASA in the blog dedicated to the mission.
The data arrived on the ground after the sampling show that the sampling from the rock called 'Issole' was successful, but during the movement of the sample towards the carousel that should transfer it inside the rover, an anomaly occurred which caused led to stop operations as a precaution pending instructions from the ground.
It took the technicians a week to receive all the data and images needed to understand the cause of the problem.
From a first visual inspection, the hitch is attributable to some small fragments of rock that would have fallen from the test tube, preventing the sample from passing through the carousel.
To complete the procedure, therefore, it will be necessary to clear the debris from the carousel.
"This is the first time that we have to proceed with the removal of debris - writes NASA - and we want to take all the time necessary to ensure that these pebbles come out in a controlled and orderly manner".
