After an independent review revealed the high cost of its original plan, NASA has scrapped its ambitious project to robotically collect and return rock and soil samples from Mars. Instead, the agency is exploring two less expensive options that aim to bring the samples back to Earth in the mid- to late 2030s. Both options utilize a proven 'sky crane' landing system and a European Space Agency spacecraft for sample retrieval.
After an independent review concluded NASA 's plans to robotically collect and return rock and soil samples from Mars could cost up to $11 billion, NASA 'pulled the plug' and is focusing on two options to reduce costs and speed up the return of the samples, agency Administrator Bill Nelson said Tuesday.
'He was referring to the agency's Perseverance rover, which landed on the red planet in February 2021 and has been collecting samples across the floor of Jezero crater, an ancient, dried-up lakebed once fed by a rushing river. The sediments may hold evidence of past microbial life.
NASA Mars Sample Return Space Exploration Cost Reduction
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