1
00:00:04,249 --> 00:00:01,969
the perseverance Rover is filling up

2
00:00:06,349 --> 00:00:04,259
tubes just like this with Rocky material

3
00:00:08,570 --> 00:00:06,359
from Mars and it's my job to protect

4
00:00:10,610 --> 00:00:08,580
them what kind of testing are we doing

5
00:00:13,770 --> 00:00:10,620
now to make sure that they survive their

6
00:00:17,290 --> 00:00:13,780
Journey back to Earth let's take a look

7
00:00:20,390 --> 00:00:17,300
[Music]

8
00:00:22,849 --> 00:00:20,400
we are close to the base of a nearly 90

9
00:00:25,130 --> 00:00:22,859
foot drop tower here at NASA's jet

10
00:00:27,050 --> 00:00:25,140
propulsion laboratory places like this

11
00:00:29,689 --> 00:00:27,060
are designed to help test out NASA's

12
00:00:32,569 --> 00:00:29,699
most ambitious campaign to date so our

13
00:00:35,389 --> 00:00:32,579
sample returns I'm Raquel Villanueva

14
00:00:37,490 --> 00:00:35,399
here with Aaron Yazzie he's in charge of

15
00:00:40,130 --> 00:00:37,500
keeping the sample tube safe on their

16
00:00:42,049 --> 00:00:40,140
journey home so Erin what's the plan

17
00:00:44,869 --> 00:00:42,059
from our sample Richard Mar's sample

18
00:00:48,529 --> 00:00:44,879
return is the next leg in us being able

19
00:00:50,450 --> 00:00:48,539
to bring back Rocky samples from Mars to

20
00:00:52,670 --> 00:00:50,460
Earth so that we can study them here and

21
00:00:54,950 --> 00:00:52,680
look for signs of ancient life what kind

22
00:00:56,510 --> 00:00:54,960
of testing is being done here at JPL to

23
00:00:58,729 --> 00:00:56,520
prepare the sample tubes for their

24
00:01:00,709 --> 00:00:58,739
Journey back to Earth the sample tubes

25
00:01:02,569 --> 00:01:00,719
have already gone through a lot of

26
00:01:04,310 --> 00:01:02,579
testing to date but we're going to

27
00:01:06,350 --> 00:01:04,320
continue testing to make sure that they

28
00:01:09,230 --> 00:01:06,360
can survive every leg of this Mission

29
00:01:12,410 --> 00:01:09,240
some of them involved mimicking Mars

30
00:01:13,730 --> 00:01:12,420
environment practice robotic handling of

31
00:01:16,070 --> 00:01:13,740
the tubes making sure that they can

32
00:01:18,010 --> 00:01:16,080
survive each of those steps the launch

33
00:01:20,210 --> 00:01:18,020
environment The Landing environment

34
00:01:21,950 --> 00:01:20,220
speaking of final descent back to Earth

35
00:01:23,749 --> 00:01:21,960
that's what the engineers are working on

36
00:01:25,910 --> 00:01:23,759
behind us can you tell us a little bit

37
00:01:28,670 --> 00:01:25,920
more about those tests the tower behind

38
00:01:30,710 --> 00:01:28,680
me is actually able to mimic the event

39
00:01:33,649 --> 00:01:30,720
from when the canister holding the

40
00:01:34,670 --> 00:01:33,659
sample tubes will land back on Earth one

41
00:01:36,590 --> 00:01:34,680
of the designs that we're currently

42
00:01:38,210 --> 00:01:36,600
testing out is what kind of crushable

43
00:01:40,910 --> 00:01:38,220
material we want we might want to use

44
00:01:42,530 --> 00:01:40,920
inside of that assembly so this right

45
00:01:44,030 --> 00:01:42,540
here is actually a piece of titanium

46
00:01:47,870 --> 00:01:44,040
crushable that we're going to use with

47
00:01:50,510 --> 00:01:47,880
this Mast simulator to see how best to

48
00:01:52,609 --> 00:01:50,520
cradle and protect these tubes when they

49
00:01:54,109 --> 00:01:52,619
land back on Earth what is being done to

50
00:01:56,149 --> 00:01:54,119
ensure that this is a successful

51
00:01:59,210 --> 00:01:56,159
campaign we are currently partnering

52
00:02:01,130 --> 00:01:59,220
with agencies across the U.S and around

53
00:02:03,050 --> 00:02:01,140
the world the most predominant one being

54
00:02:05,810 --> 00:02:03,060
the European Space Agency we're actually

55
00:02:07,670 --> 00:02:05,820
working on building a hundred more test

56
00:02:09,290 --> 00:02:07,680
tubes that we can distribute to all

57
00:02:11,089 --> 00:02:09,300
these teams so they can do all their

58
00:02:13,490 --> 00:02:11,099
testing and and ensure that everything

59
00:02:15,530 --> 00:02:13,500
will work like they designed it to what

60
00:02:17,630 --> 00:02:15,540
are you most excited about when it comes

61
00:02:20,390 --> 00:02:17,640
to More Sample return I am really

62
00:02:21,949 --> 00:02:20,400
excited about all the information that

63
00:02:24,710 --> 00:02:21,959
these Little Rock samples hold inside

64
00:02:27,650 --> 00:02:24,720
them especially the exciting probability

65
00:02:30,170 --> 00:02:27,660
that we could find ancient life

66
00:02:32,809 --> 00:02:30,180
for me personally I come from an area in

67
00:02:35,750 --> 00:02:32,819
the U.S that looks like Mars the Navajo

68
00:02:38,630 --> 00:02:35,760
Nation is a rocky desert landscape and

69
00:02:40,910 --> 00:02:38,640
it really reminds me uh how similar

70
00:02:41,690 --> 00:02:40,920
rocky planets and our solar system can

71
00:02:43,190 --> 00:02:41,700
be

72
00:02:44,990 --> 00:02:43,200
it's a very cool perspective to bring

73
00:02:47,990 --> 00:02:45,000
with you thank you for your time Erin

74
00:02:49,490 --> 00:02:48,000
thank you and NASA is sending your name

75
00:02:51,710 --> 00:02:49,500
to Mars so if you'd like to get a

76
00:02:54,229 --> 00:02:51,720
boarding pass like Aaron has right here

77
00:02:56,150 --> 00:02:54,239
please follow the link below and to keep

78
00:02:59,390 --> 00:02:56,160
up with the latest updates follow at

79
00:03:01,369 --> 00:02:59,400
NASA JPL and at NASA Mars or take a

80
00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:01,379
deeper dive on the mission websites at