NASA faces delays in martian rock return mission
The Perseverance rover has collected Martian rock samples in two distinct ways, which NASA believes might contain evidence of extraterrestrial life. This mission has been underway since 2021, with rocks and sediments gathered from the ancient lakebed on Mars. However, there is a problem—it's uncertain whether the samples can be returned to Earth for analysis.
Initially, the plan was to analyse the samples by 2033, but it is already known that the entire project will be delayed and significantly more expensive than originally anticipated. By 2026, NASA will decide on the method to retrieve the samples for study.
Pursuing two potential paths forward will ensure that NASA is able to bring these samples back from Mars with significant cost and schedule saving compared to the previous plan. These samples have the potential to change the way we understand Mars, our universe, and – ultimately – ourselves, said Bill Nelson from NASA, as quoted by Live Science.
It is possible that the Perseverance rover has already discovered signs of life on Mars in the Jezero Crater lake samples. This will only be confirmed once scientists return to Earth and examine the samples in the laboratory.
Originally, NASA's Mars Sample Return programme was expected to cost £5.7 billion, but now expenses have risen to approximately £9 billion.
By September 2024, NASA was accepting proposals on how the sample return should be executed. Eleven proposals were submitted, and NASA selected two.
How to recover samples from Mars without destroying them? There are two options
The first option relies on a proven landing system design involving a rocket crane that uses cables to lower the lander. NASA used this method to land the Perseverance rover on Mars, and its cost is estimated between £5.4 billion and £6.3 billion. The second option is based on new commercial capabilities of the private sector, with an estimated cost of £4.7 billion to £5.8 billion.
The Mars Ascent Vehicle will transport the rock samples into orbit. From there, the samples will be picked up by the European Space Agency's Earth Return Orbiter. It will be launched no earlier than 2027 to collect the samples and bring them back to Earth.
Mars Sample Return will allow scientists to understand the planet’s geological history and the evolution of climate on this barren planet where life may have existed in the past and shed light on the early solar system before life began here on Earth. This will also prepare us to safely send the first human explorers to Mars, admitted Nicola Fox, Deputy Director of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
