No final plan yet: Nasa to take a call on bringing rocks from Mars in 2026
Top News
2 days, 12 hours ago

No final plan yet: Nasa to take a call on bringing rocks from Mars in 2026

India Today  

Nasa has announced a new approach to its Mars Sample Return Program, aiming to enhance the likelihood of successfully bringing Martian rock and sediment samples collected by Perseverance rover back to Earth. The overarching goal of the Mars Sample Return Program is to deepen our understanding of the universe and investigate whether Mars ever harboured life. "Pursuing two potential paths forward will ensure that Nasa can bring these samples back from Mars with significant cost and schedule savings compared to the previous plan," stated Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson. A dedicated Mars Sample Return Strategic Review team will assess these studies and recommend a primary architecture for the mission, including cost and schedule estimates.

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History of this topic

NASA proposes cheaper and quicker way to get Mars rocks and soil to Earth
2 days, 18 hours ago

NASA proposes cheaper and quicker way to get Mars rocks and soil to Earth

Associated Press  

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA is pitching a cheaper and quicker way of getting rocks and soil back from Mars, after seeing its original plan swell to $11 billion. Nelson said he “pulled the plug” months ago on the original sample return plan given the soaring costs and the delay in getting anything back from Mars before 2040. “We want …

Nasa to share latest update on fate of mission to bring rocks from Mars
3 days, 12 hours ago

Nasa to share latest update on fate of mission to bring rocks from Mars

India Today  

Nasa is set to provide crucial updates regarding the fate of Martian samples collected by the Perseverance rover. The teleconference, featuring Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson and Associate Administrator Nicky Fox, will address the ongoing challenges facing the Mars Sample Return mission, which aims to bring scientifically selected samples from Mars back to Earth. In 2023, both House and Senate appropriations …

NASA presents two new plans in the race to return samples from Mars to Earth
3 days, 12 hours ago

NASA presents two new plans in the race to return samples from Mars to Earth

CNN  

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. NASA/JPL-Caltech Journey from the Martian surface Mars Sample Return is humanity’s first mission to bring scientific samples from a habitable planet back to Earth, Fox said. “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 …

NASA punts Mars Sample Return decision to the next administration
3 days, 12 hours ago

NASA punts Mars Sample Return decision to the next administration

LA Times  

A photomontage shows tubes containing samples from Mars, as collected by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. Anyone hoping for a clear path forward this year for NASA’s imperiled Mars Sample Return mission will have to wait a little longer. So they will be moving forward, regardless of which path, with a key role in the Mars Sample Return.” In April, after …

Why NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future
8 months, 1 week ago

Why NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future

The Hindu  

A critical NASA mission in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars Sample Return, is in trouble. Mars is the nearest and best place to search for life beyond Earth, and if this ambitious NASA mission unraveled, scientists would lose their chance to learn much more about the red planet. Sample return breaks the bank Mars Sample Return has blown …

NASA is seeking a faster, cheaper way to bring Mars samples to Earth
8 months, 3 weeks ago

NASA is seeking a faster, cheaper way to bring Mars samples to Earth

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

NASA is seeking a faster and cheaper way to bring Mars samples to Earth
8 months, 3 weeks ago

NASA is seeking a faster and cheaper way to bring Mars samples to Earth

Associated Press  

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s plan to bring samples from Mars back to Earth is on hold until there’s a faster, cheaper way, space agency officials said Monday. NASA’s rover Perseverance already has gathered 24 core samples in tubes since landing in 2021 at Mars’ Jezero Crater, an ancient river delta. NASA’s science mission chief, Nicky Fox, refused to speculate …

Too expensive, too slow: NASA asks for help with JPL’s Mars Sample Return mission
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Too expensive, too slow: NASA asks for help with JPL’s Mars Sample Return mission

LA Times  

These tubes hold samples of Martian rocks and dust collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover for the Mars Sample Return mission. In the most recent planetary science decadal survey — a report prepared for NASA every 10 years by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — planetary scientists named the Mars Sample Return mission as the “highest scientific priority …

NASA’s attempt to bring home part of Mars is unprecedented. The mission’s problems are not
9 months, 2 weeks ago

NASA’s attempt to bring home part of Mars is unprecedented. The mission’s problems are not

LA Times  

This illustration shows a concept for multiple robots that would team up to bring samples of rocks and soil — being collected from the Martian surface by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover — back to Earth. “A lot of great science will come out of” Mars Sample Return, said Garth Illingworth, an astronomer emeritus at UC Santa Cruz and former deputy …

Opinion: Mars rocks are a science prize the U.S. can’t afford to lose
10 months ago

Opinion: Mars rocks are a science prize the U.S. can’t afford to lose

LA Times  

A NASA photograph taken during the rover Perseverance’s first drive on Mars in 2021. NASA’s most ambitious planetary project yet is Mars Sample Return, a partnership with the European Space Agency to robotically collect and bring back to Earth scientifically invaluable rocks from Mars for study in labs here. Despite that, the review emphasized that the scientific and geopolitical value …

Budget deal for NASA offers glimmer of hope for JPL’s Mars Sample Return mission
10 months ago

Budget deal for NASA offers glimmer of hope for JPL’s Mars Sample Return mission

LA Times  

Tubes holding samples of rock cores, broken rock and dust collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover sit on the surface of Mars. The space agency’s Mars Sample Return mission aims to bring them to Earth for closer study. This week, the House and Senate appropriations committees finalized a deal that would grant a minimum of $300 million for the Mars Sample …

Mars rover drops rock sample on Red planet: Why is NASA excited about it?
1 year, 11 months ago

Mars rover drops rock sample on Red planet: Why is NASA excited about it?

Live Mint  

NASA’s Perseverance rover has been dropping samples on the surface of the Red planet. The Perseverance rover is supposed to drop 10 samples and it has recently dropped the ninth sample, which is making NASA excited. But that’s not all.” This core sample came from an igneous rock back near my landing site “Rocks like this, studied up close, could …

Perseverance drops 50% backup samples on Mars for future missions to bring home
2 years ago

Perseverance drops 50% backup samples on Mars for future missions to bring home

India Today  

The Perseverance rover, which recently completed its one Martian year of operations on the Red Planet, has successfully dropped five of the 10 sampling tubes with rock cores in them. ONE MARTIAN YEAR FOR PERSEVERANCE The SUV-sized rover marked its one Martian year of operations late last week as it continued to trundle on the floor of the Jazero crater, …

Nasa Perseverance rover deposits its first sample on Mars for return mission
2 years ago

Nasa Perseverance rover deposits its first sample on Mars for return mission

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Nasa’s Perseverance Mars rover has placed a titanium tube containing Martian rock fragments …

Scientists pick stash site for Mars soil samples collected by Perseverance rover
2 years, 2 months ago

Scientists pick stash site for Mars soil samples collected by Perseverance rover

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Nasa Perseverance Rover will soon stash select samples of the Martian soil in …

Nasa to send two more Ingenuity-like helicopters to collect samples from Mars
2 years, 5 months ago

Nasa to send two more Ingenuity-like helicopters to collect samples from Mars

The Independent  

Nasa is planning to send two more helicopters to the Red Planet as part of its Mars Sample Return Program. Nasa’s Perseverance rover has so far gathered 11 rock core samples and one atmospheric sample, with its most recent sedimentary rock sample expected to hold evidence of ancient microbial life on the Red Planet. In the current plan, Perseverance will …

Perseverance rover sets in motion work to return first samples from Mars
3 years, 2 months ago

Perseverance rover sets in motion work to return first samples from Mars

India Today  

The Perseverance rover, which is parked in the Jazero crater, for now, has set in motion the work on returning the first samples from Mars to Earth. Meenakshi Wadhwa, principal scientist for the Mars Sample Return program said, “I have dreamed of having Mars samples to analyze since I was a graduate student. “I’ve been working my whole career for …

NASA's perseverance rover collects first Mars rock samples
3 years, 4 months ago

NASA's perseverance rover collects first Mars rock samples

India TV News  

National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Perseverance rover on Monday completed the collection of the first sample of Martian rock, a core from Jezero Crater slightly thicker than a pencil. The sample-taking process began on September 1, when the rotary percussive drill at the end of Perseverance's robotic arm cored into a flat, briefcase-size Mars rock nicknamed "Rochette." Today, at 12:34 …

NASA confirms Perseverance Mars rover got its first piece of rock
3 years, 4 months ago

NASA confirms Perseverance Mars rover got its first piece of rock

Deccan Chronicle  

Washington: NASA confirmed Monday that its Perseverance Mars rover succeeded in collecting its first rock sample for scientists to pore over when a future mission eventually brings it back to Earth. The sample was collected on September 1, but NASA was initially unsure whether the rover had successfully held onto its precious cargo, because initial images taken in poor light …

NASA's Mars rover makes 2nd attempt to pick up rock sample
3 years, 4 months ago

NASA's Mars rover makes 2nd attempt to pick up rock sample

India TV News  

US space agency NASA Perseverance rover has likely retrieved a rock sample on Mars at its second attempt. "The data received on September 1, from NASA's Perseverance rover, indicates that the team has achieved its goal of successfully coring a Mars rock. The initial set of images from Mastcam-Z showed the end of a cored rock within the sample tube, …

NASA’s newest Mars rover, Perseverance, snags first rock sample for return
3 years, 4 months ago

NASA’s newest Mars rover, Perseverance, snags first rock sample for return

LA Times  

A closeup of the first Martian rock sample obtained by NASA’s Perseverance rover. NASA’s newest Mars rover has successfully collected its first rock sample for return to Earth, after last month’s attempt came up empty. Science & Medicine NASA’s Perseverance rover ready to search for signs of ancient life on Mars If NASA’s Perseverance rover lands safely on Mars, it …

NASA blames Mars rover sampling fiasco on bad, powdery rock
3 years, 4 months ago

NASA blames Mars rover sampling fiasco on bad, powdery rock

India Today  

NASA is blaming unusually soft rock for last week’s sampling fiasco on Mars. The Perseverance rover came up empty after attempting to collect its first core sample on the red planet for eventual return to Earth. Data beamed back last Friday showed that the rover drilled to the proper depth of nearly 3 inches, and pictures of the borehole looked …

The Perseverance rover's Martian rock samples just... disappeared. What happened?
3 years, 5 months ago

The Perseverance rover's Martian rock samples just... disappeared. What happened?

Salon  

The Perseverance rover is a rarity among space rovers for the sole reason that it is a sample-return mission — meaning that Perseverance will drill Martian rock and collect samples which will eventually be returned to Earth. This Martian mystery story begins last week, when scientists took a big step in Perseverance's historic mission by attempting to collect samples from …

Hit and miss: Perseverance rover failed its first rock sample collection on Mars
3 years, 5 months ago

Hit and miss: Perseverance rover failed its first rock sample collection on Mars

Firstpost  

NASA plans on bringing back around 30 samples that will be analyzed with sophisticated instruments than those on Mars. NASA’s Perseverance drilled into the surface of Mars but failed in its initial attempt to collect rock samples that would be picked up by future missions for analysis by scientists on Earth. “While this is not the ‘hole-in-one’ we hoped for, …

NASA's Mars rover fails in first attempt to collect rock samples
3 years, 5 months ago

NASA's Mars rover fails in first attempt to collect rock samples

India TV News  

NASA's Mars rover Perseverance has failed in its first attempt to grab rock samples on Mars for future return to Earth. The American space agency in a statement said that data sent to Earth by NASA's Perseverance rover after its first attempt to "collect a rock sample on Mars and seal it in a sample tube indicate that no rock …

NASA shows spot on Mars where its Perseverance rover is set to collect first Martian rock sample | WATCH
3 years, 5 months ago

NASA shows spot on Mars where its Perseverance rover is set to collect first Martian rock sample | WATCH

India TV News  

NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover is set to collect its first-ever sample of Martian rock that the future planned missions will transport back to earth. The six-wheeled geologist landed on Jezero Crater in Mars on February 18, and NASA kicked off the rover's mission science phase on June 1, exploring a 4 square kilometer patch of crater floor which might contain …

NASA's helicopter-bearing Perseverance rover sticks the Mars landing
3 years, 10 months ago

NASA's helicopter-bearing Perseverance rover sticks the Mars landing

Salon  

On Thursday, a rover the size of a Mini Cooper parachuted through thin Martian air for seven nail-biting minutes before successfully touching down on the red planet. The landing of Perseverance, as the rover is dubbed, marks a new era in Martian exploration — as the fifth NASA rover to ever touch down on Mars and the first that carries …

NASA's Perseverance rover is different to any mission that's landed on Mars. Here's why
3 years, 10 months ago

NASA's Perseverance rover is different to any mission that's landed on Mars. Here's why

ABC  

NASA's latest rover is now just days away from a daring landing on Mars. "It may seem like a copy-paste version of the Curiosity rover … but it is completely different to anything that's happened in the past," Dr Flannery said. "No mission has ever been given the mandate to look for evidence of past life," said Abigail Allwood, an …

Missions to Mars Become Prime Focus for All 2021 Space Explorations
4 years ago

Missions to Mars Become Prime Focus for All 2021 Space Explorations

News 18  

The year 2021 will usher in some exciting programmes for space exploration after 2020 saw the accomplishment of some major feats. UAE’s Hope Probe, China’s Tianwen-1 and NASA’s Perseverance rover will be landing on the Red Planet this year. The Hope Probe by UAE will make a challenging maneuver to slow down and enter Mars’ orbit with an altitude above …

After Moon Probe Success, China Plans on Bringing Back Mars Soil Samples by 2030
4 years ago

After Moon Probe Success, China Plans on Bringing Back Mars Soil Samples by 2030

News 18  

China has successfully brought moon rocks to Earth by Chang’e-5 and now, it is planning to bring soil samples from Mars to Earth by 2030. A report in the Daily Mail states that the officials have confirmed that Mars is next after the successful Moon mission where samples from the surface of Earth’s natural satellite have been brought back to …

How NASA is planning to bring Mars samples back to Earth
4 years ago

How NASA is planning to bring Mars samples back to Earth

India TV News  

NASA has approved the Mars Sample Return multi-mission effort to advance to the next phase in preparation to bring the first pristine samples from Mars back to Earth. In the next steps of the MSR campaign, NASA and the European Space Agency will provide respective components for a Sample Retrieval Lander mission and an Earth Return Orbiter mission, with launches …

Report: NASA needs more time, money to bring back Mars rocks
4 years, 1 month ago

Report: NASA needs more time, money to bring back Mars rocks

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy NASA is underestimating the amount …

NASA sets up board to review Mars sample return plans
4 years, 4 months ago

NASA sets up board to review Mars sample return plans

India TV News  

After sending a sophisticated sampling system with the Perseverance rover which is now on its way to Mars, NASA established an independent board which will help it in accomplishing the complicated mission of returning samples from the Red Planet. The ‘Mars Sample Return Programme Independent Review Board' will proactively assist the US space agency with analysis of current plans and …

NASA’s Epic Gamble to Get Martian Dirt Back to Earth
4 years, 10 months ago

NASA’s Epic Gamble to Get Martian Dirt Back to Earth

Wired  

There are two kinds of places in the universe, as far as we know. “It will be the most valuable thing on Earth.” Mars Sample Return—MSR in NASA’s inevitable initialism—will mark the first time that humans make a round trip to Mars, and it will be the first physical, tangible, two-way cause-and-effect connection between Earth and another planet. Outer space …

NASA is on the hunt for a new leader for its Mars mission to bring Martian rock back to Earth
4 years, 11 months ago

NASA is on the hunt for a new leader for its Mars mission to bring Martian rock back to Earth

Firstpost  

The job vacancy appeared on NASA’s website and the leader will be responsible for supervising various aspects of the project. NASA is currently on the hunt for a suitable candidate for heading its upcoming Mars Sample Return program, which as the name suggests, would attempt to bring Martian rock, soil and air samples back to earth. The job vacancy that …

NASA is hiring someone to help bring Martian rocks back to Earth
4 years, 11 months ago

NASA is hiring someone to help bring Martian rocks back to Earth

CNN  

CNN — NASA is planning to bring Martian samples back to Earth – and they’re looking for someone to lead the mission. NASA has previously sent several rovers to Mars, but no program or robot has ever been able to bring back samples, which could give researchers new insights into the Red Planet. Bringing samples back to Earth for further …

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