The Perseverance rover has been collecting Martian rock samples since 2021, but NASA is still figuring out how to bring them back to Earth.
NASA’s Perseverance rover has been hard at work on Mars, collecting pieces of rock and stowing them away on the Red Planet. But back on Earth, the space agency has been struggling to carry out its plan of retrieving the Martian samples. Following months of deliberation, NASA has decided to pursue two alternative routes for its Mars Sample Return program, one of which elicits the help of the private industry.
During a media briefing on Tuesday, NASA announced an unusual approach to its ambitious Martian sample mission. The space agency will simultaneously pursue two different ways of brining samples from the other world to Earth.
At this point, NASA will proceed with “two distinct means of landing the payload platform on Mars,” the space agency wrote. The first option will involve tried and tested means of landing on Mars using a sky crane similar to ones used by NASA’s rovers, while the other option will opt for a new method developed by a commercial partner.
The two pathways would involve a smaller version of the Mars Ascent Vehicle, a lightweight rocket designed to launch the tubes containing the samples from Mars into the planet’s orbit. Both missions would also rely on the European Space Agency’s Earth Return Orbiter, which is designed to capture the orbiting sample container in Mars orbit. The sample container will hold 30 tubes.
“NASA’s rovers are enduring Mars’ harsh environment to collect ground-breaking science samples,” Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement. “We want to bring those back as quickly as possible to study them in state-of-the-art facilities.”on the mission, referring to it as a “highly constrained and challenging campaign,” with “unrealistic budget and schedule expectations from the beginning.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NASA Mars Sample Return Program Undergoes Another ReviewNASA's Mars Sample Return (MSR) program is facing another review, this time by an independent committee. The committee will assess previous studies and recommend a primary architecture for the mission, including cost and schedule estimates. The review comes as NASA seeks to refine its plans for bringing Martian samples back to Earth.
Read more »
NASA Prepares for Mars Sample Return BriefingNASA is gearing up for a briefing about its ambitious Mars sample return mission, outlining plans to bring Martian samples back to Earth while addressing cost, risk, and complexity.
Read more »
NASA’s Big Mars Update: How to Watch the Upcoming Sample Return RevealThe space agency will provide a broadcast update on the marquee mission that is intended to recover samples of Martian rock for study on Earth.
Read more »
NASA to Update Mars Sample Return Mission PlansNASA will provide an update on the Mars Sample Return mission, outlining plans to bring Martian samples back to Earth while reducing costs and risks.
Read more »
NASA Adopts Two-Path Approach for Mars Sample ReturnNASA has announced a new strategy for its Mars Sample Return Program, pursuing two landing architectures simultaneously to maximize efficiency and cost savings. This approach aims to bring the first Martian rock and sediment samples back to Earth for analysis, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of Mars, the universe, and the origins of life.
Read more »
NASA Reveals Next Generation Mars Drone: Mars ChopperFollowing the success of Ingenuity, NASA unveils plans for its next-generation Mars drone, the Mars Chopper.
Read more »