NASA’s ambitious initiative to retrieve up to 30 geological samples from Mars is undergoing a substantial overhaul, as agency officials revealed on Monday. The original timeline, which postponed the return of samples to Earth until 2040, has been labeled as “too costly” and “unacceptably protracted.”
The collection of these samples, facilitated by the Perseverance rover within Mars’ Jezero Crater, represents a pivotal scientific endeavor for NASA. Analyzing pristine Martian material in sophisticated laboratories worldwide could unlock crucial insights about the planet’s history, potentially including evidence of past life, according to NASA.
However, repeated delays and budget overruns have necessitated a reevaluation of the Mars sample-return (MSR) architecture. An independent review board’s upper-end estimate of $11 billion, released last September, highlighted the financial challenges of the original plan. This figure starkly contrasts with earlier estimates ranging from $2.5 to $3 billion.
Upon analyzing the review board’s findings, NASA concluded that the established architecture would not facilitate the return of Perseverance’s samples until 2040, citing budget constraints and the need to prioritize other scientific endeavors, such as the Dragonfly drone mission to Saturn’s moon Titan.
The original plan involved deploying a NASA-built lander to Jezero Crater, equipped with a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) and potentially retrieval helicopters akin to the Ingenuity rotorcraft. Perseverance would transfer its samples to the lander, which would then launch them into Mars orbit for retrieval by a European Space Agency spacecraft.
In response to these challenges, NASA is actively exploring alternative approaches to reduce costs and expedite the sample-return timeline. Seeking innovative ideas from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and other agency research centers, as well as soliciting proposals from the commercial sector, marks a proactive step towards charting a new path forward.
While specific details of the revised plan remain unclear, potential adjustments include downsizing the MAV and reducing the number of samples to be returned. Despite the formidable technical and logistical hurdles, both NASA officials emphasized the agency’s unwavering commitment to realizing this critical national objective.
