NASA will host a media teleconference at 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 10, to discuss the analysis of a rock sampled by the agency\u2019s Perseverance Mars rover last year, which is the subject of a forthcoming science paper.<\/p>\n
The sample, called \u201cSapphire Canyon,\u201d was collected in July 2024 from a set of rocky outcrops on the edges of Neretva Vallis, a river valley carved by water rushing into Jezero Crater long ago.<\/p>\n
Audio and visuals of the call will stream on the agency\u2019s website at:<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/live<\/a><\/p>\n Participants in the teleconference include:<\/p>\n To ask questions by phone, members of the media must RSVP no later than two hours before the start of the event to: rexana.v.vizza@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a>. NASA\u2019s media accreditation policy<\/a> is available online.<\/p>\n Since landing in the Red Planet\u2019s Jezero Crater in February 2021, Perseverance has collected 30 samples<\/a>. The rover still has six empty sample tubes to fill, and it continues to collect detailed information about geologic targets that it hasn\u2019t sampled by using its abrasion tool<\/a>. Among the rover\u2019s science instruments is a weather station that provides environmental information for future human missions, as well as swatches of spacesuit material<\/a> so that NASA can study how it fares on Mars.<\/p>\n Managed for NASA by Caltech, JPL built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover on behalf of the agency\u2019s Science Mission Directorate as part of NASA\u2019s Mars Exploration Program portfolio.<\/p>\n To learn more about Perseverance visit:<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/perseverance<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n -end-<\/p>\n Bethany Stevens \/ Karen Fox\n
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov<\/a> \/ karen.c.fox@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n