NASA Investigates Economical Approaches for Mars Return Mission

 

NASA/JPL-Caltech

NEWSLINE PAPER,- A major setback has befallen NASA's audacious attempt to gather samples from Mars and return them to Earth. Monday saw the space agency declare that the project is on pause until a more economical and effective solution is found.

A top goal for NASA for many years has been to obtain rocks and dirt from Mars. But the project's schedule has changed many times, and the expenses have skyrocketed as well. An astounding $8 billion to $11 billion price tag and a 2040 delivery date—roughly ten years later than first expected—were disclosed by a recent independent analysis.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said he was concerned about the outrageous price and the long time frame and thought they were unacceptable. Nelson underlined the need of looking at other ways to completely restructure the project because the agency is struggling with budget constraints everywhere. He invited creative solutions from NASA's centres as well as the corporate sector in order to prevent taking money away from other scientific projects to support the Mars sample effort.

"At a news conference, Nelson underlined, "We want to obtain every new and fresh thought that we can."

Even with the setback, NASA's Perseverance rover has advanced significantly since arriving in Mars' Jezero Crater in 2021. Perseverance is entrusted with collecting more than 30 samples to examine for possible signs of ancient Martian life, with 24 core samples collected in tubes.

Right now, the goal is to return at least some of these samples to Earth by the 2030s at a budget of no more than $7 billion. This requires a spaceship that can take the tubes out of Mars and launch it off the planet, then meet up with another spacecraft that is supposed to carry the samples to Earth.

Chief of the NASA science mission Nicky Fox underlined the intricacy of the project and the hitherto unheard-of difficulty of launching from an alien world. Fox emphasised the need of thorough laboratory testing to validate any evidence of ancient Martian life, but he declined to comment on timescales or the quantity of samples to be returned.

Spacecraft-based investigations are not as detailed as the analysis of pure Martian samples in terrestrial laboratories, which is much anticipated by analysts. Especially during times of water flow billions of years ago, these materials are the key to solving puzzles about Mars' distant past.

The information extracted from these samples will eventually guide NASA's next Mars missions, including possible astronaut trips in the 2040s.

All over NASA, suggestions and ideas are welcome as the agency works to restructure the Mars sample return effort. By means of innovation and teamwork, the space agency hopes to get beyond challenges and fulfil its lofty objectives in the investigation of the Red Planet.

Sorce : NASA

READ ALSO