Mars samples that could help us find alien life are stuck there until at least 2035, NASA says
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 Dozens of samples of rock and sediment collected from Mars that could be used to detect ancient microbial life could be returned to Earth as soon as 2035 and as late as 2039, depending on the course of the next few months, NASA announced Tuesday. It was initially estimated at $11 billion, with a 2040 return date: a price tag and timeline that administrator Bill Nelson explained was “simply unacceptable.” Now, the U.S. space agency says it is exploring a pair of less expensive options, and making its final decision on which to pick likely by next year. This is one possible site that NASA may consider for a Mars Sample Return lander that would collect Perseverance’s samples of Mars rock and sediment in the future. NASA said it was considering using the technology for its Mars Sample Return Mission “Either of these two options are creating a much more simplified, faster, and less expensive version than the original plane,” Nelson told reporters at a briefing.
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