NASA is Looking for a Faster and Cheaper Way to Bring Samples from Mars to Earth
NASA’s plan to bring samples from Mars to Earth is on hold until a cheaper and faster way is found. This is what the American space agency NASA itself says. The plan to bring samples to Earth has been on the agenda for decades, but the costs are enormous.
One of NASA’s most ambitious missions is bringing samples of Martian soil and rocks to Earth. Now the samples are being examined by spacecraft on the red planet itself, but NASA would like to do this on Earth.
According to NASA, research into the samples on Earth would revolutionize knowledge about Mars and our solar system. The research is also important for putting people on Mars in the future.
Too expensive and takes too long
A recent study estimated the total cost to be 8 to 11 billion dollars with an arrival date on Earth in 2040, about 10 years later than previously said.
Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator for President Biden’s administration, says that the amount is too high and that date is too late. That’s why he’s asking private industry and NASA to devise other options to revive the project.
NASA is facing significant budget cuts and Nelson wants to avoid cutting other science projects to fund the return of Martian samples.
The mission must cost less than $7 billion
NASA wants to get some of the collected samples to Earth between 2030 and 2040 for less than 7 billion dollars (6.5 billion euros).
To achieve this, a spacecraft needs to go to Mars and collect the samples. After the spacecraft retrieves the samples, it must deliver them to another spacecraft, which would then deliver them to Earth.
“We’ve never launched from another planet, and that’s really what makes returning Mars samples such a challenging and interesting mission,” said Nicky Fox, chief of science missions at NASA.
Already collected 24 samples for research
Since landing in 2021, NASA’s robot jeep Perseverance has collected 24 samples from the Jezero crater on Mars, an ancient river delta. The goal is to examine more than 30 samples for possible signs of (ancient) life on Mars.
Scientists are trying to understand whether Mars was, is or could be a habitable world. To find out, we need to understand how geological, climatic and other processes have worked to shape Mars over time, and how they interact today.