Explore This SectionPerseverance HomeMission OverviewRover ComponentsMars Rock SamplesWhere is Perseverance?Ingenuity Mars HelicopterMission UpdatesScienceOverviewObjectivesInstruments Highlights Exploration GoalsNews and FeaturesMultimediaPerseverance Raw ImagesImagesVideosAudioMore ResourcesMars MissionsMars Perseverance RoverMars Curiosity RoverMars Reconnaissance OrbiterMars OdysseyMore Mars MissionsMars HomeNASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of the abrasion patch “Pumbe” using its SHERLOC WATSON camera, located on the turret at the end of the rover’s robotic arm. The image was acquired on Oct. 17, 2026 (Sol 2011), at a local mean solar time of 16:14:35. The abrasion patch is about 5 centimeters (2 inches) across.NASA/JPL-CaltechTo improve the odds of collecting a sample this time, the team made prudent decisions: choosing a neighboring rock with a flatter surface better oriented for the drill stabilizers to press against, and using a coring bit with less wear. At last, in a display of the rover’s namesake quality, the drill made it about 3.1 centimeters (1.2 inches) into the rock. Sample acquisition activities followed, making “Singita” the rover’s first sample in more than a year. While Singita is the newest sample, it may be among the oldest rocks in Perseverance’s collection. Textures in the rock suggest that it likely formed deep in the crust and was modified and excavated by at least one, and possibly multiple, large impact events.Perseverance has now completed its 66th successful abrasion and collected an intriguing new sample alongside it. The latest mission status report opens with “Perseverance remains healthy and stable on Mars” and lists “Spacecraft Status: Nominal.” Translation: the rover remains capable of continued fruitful exploration, with many more abrasions to come.Want to read more posts from the Perseverance team?Visit Mission UpdatesWant to learn more about Perseverance’s science instruments?Visit the Science Instruments pageExplore More2 min readRubies on Mars?Article13 minutes ago4 min readCuriosity Blog, Sols 5043-5049: Preparing to Drill at ‘Nazca’Article2 weeks ago2 min readTinga’s TaleArticle2 weeks agoKeep ExploringDiscover More Topics From NASAAll Mars ResourcesExplore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…Rover BasicsEach robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…Mars Exploration: Science GoalsThe key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…Mars Perseverance RoverThe Mars Perseverance rover is the first leg the Mars Sample Return Campaign’s interplanetary relay team. Its job is to…