JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

Anatomy of a Sample Tube Interior

Dec 22, 2020
This illustration depicts the interior of a sample tube being carried aboard the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.
Context Image
Larger image for PIA24307
Context Image
Larger image for PIA24307

This illustration depicts the interior of a sample tube being carried aboard the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.

About the size and shape of a standard lab test tube, the 43 sample tubes headed to Mars must be lightweight, hardy enough to survive the demands of the round trip, and so clean that future scientists will be confident that what they are analyzing is 100&percnt Mars, without Earthly contaminants.

Cutaway

  • Plunger: Works in concert with the spring to release (retract) or activate (extend) the two exterior-mounted ball locks.
  • Springs: Along with the plunger, acts to release or activate the ball locks.
  • Payload Cavity: Also known as the bore, is the area in the tube where cores of Martian rock and samples of regolith will be stored.
  • Titanium Nitride Coating: The specialized surface treatment resists contamination.
  • Hermetic Seal: This mechanically-activated plug is designed to ensure that no contaminants can get into the sample tube and that nothing from inside the tube can get out.

JPL built and will manage operations of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover for NASA.

For more information about the mission, go to: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020.

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Mission
  • Perseverance Rover
Spacecraft
  • Perseverance
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Keep Exploring

Perseverance's Stages of Descent (Illustration)

Exploring Majestic Jezero Crater (Illustration)

This Gold Box to Searches for Buried Treasure

SuperCam is Not Seeing Red

Put a Bowtie on It!

SuperCam Mast Unit

The Parts Inside Perseverance

Modern Art for Mastcam-Z

Mastcam-Z Looking Left

MOXIE All Tucked In

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors of JPL
JPL History
Documentary Series
Virtual Tour
Annual Reports
Missions
All
Current
Past
Future
News
All
Earth
Mars
Solar System
Universe
Technology
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Infographics
Engage
JPL and the Community
Lecture Series
Public Tours
Events
Team Competitions
JPL Speakers Bureau
Topics
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Stars and Galaxies
Exoplanets
Technology
JPL Life
For Media
Contacts and Information
Press Kits
More
Asteroid Watch
Robotics at JPL
Subscribe to Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Manager: Veronica McGregor
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Randal Jackson, Naomi Hartono