NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission is an ambitious project that aims to use the Perseverance rover to collect Martian rocks, sand, and even gulps of Martian air. Then, through a complicated handoff between different spacecraft, it would ferry those samples to Earth.
A 2023 assessment found that the original plan to retrieve the samples would be much more expensive, and take much longer, than initially expected.
This week, NASA announced two options on how to cut costs and bring the samples to Earth by the late 2030s. But the agency did not solidify a plan, leaving it to the next administration to sort out around 18 months from now. Is the project on the rocks?
To get up to speed on the mission, Flora Lichtman talks with Dr. Jim Bell, professor of earth and space exploration at Arizona State University, and distinguished visiting scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Further Reading
- Read more coverage of NASA’s two options for bringing Mars samples to Earth via SpaceNews.com.
- Find more coverage of Mars at our Mars Madness Spotlight.
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Segment Guests
Jim Bell
Dr. Jim Bell is a Distinguished Visiting Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a professor of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.
Segment Transcript
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