ALT Photo from NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover shows a rock resting on the sandy Martian surface, surrounded by smaller cobbles and pebbles. Near the center of the rock is a small hole left by the rover as it drilled and extracted a core sample from inside.

ALT Photo from NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover shows a small, white sample tube lying on the sandy surface of Mars. About the size of a marker, the tube sits in the shadow of the rover that released it. Part of the rover’s left rear wheel is visible at top right, along with tracks it has made on the dusty ground. The tube sits with its sealed end pointed toward the camera. In addition to a mainly matte white body, parts of the tube appear silver, gold and gray in certain areas.