The drilling process was seemingly not the smoothest:
Difficult to tell from CacheCam if the sample tube is full, and we have no animation of the drilling process as yet. Stay tuned!
this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2025
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NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover
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They haven't sealed sample #29/Bell Island, no.
Was I correct in understanding they're going to seal tubes only when they know they've got something sufficiently compelling? Until they've mapped the broad outlines of the rim and adjacent Nili Planum, I'm sure they won't be sealing anything. At this point, with the hints they've disclosed recently, I'm not sure we properly understand the mineralogy of these lowest layers... well, I don't, certainly.
I'd forgot about the aim to leave the tubes unsealed. Clearly a lot of questions about the geology outside the crater that require further investigation, and with few tubes, it makes sense to be selective. With sample return not close to having a date, I guess they can afford to take their time.