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It seems that the ultimate decision regarding the plan to retrieve those Martian rocks for Earth will occur under the administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
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- Earlier this month, the outgoing NASA Administrator Bill Nelson along with other agency representatives unveiled two possible strategies for the mission, referred to as Mars Sample Return, for the future administration.
- Once scientists obtain the samples, they hope to analyze them to gain insights into the geological past of the now-desolate planet, including whether any form of life once existed.
- In the meantime, the Perseverance rover, which gathered more than two dozen samples, continues to operate at the top of the Jezero Crater where it landed in 2021.
A collection of Martian rocks might disclose information about potential previous life forms on the Red Planet – but first, NASA must bring them back to Earth.
For years, the U.S. space agency’s Perseverance rover has been extensively examining Mars and gathering fascinating rock samples. Some of these samples have been secured within cylindrical containers on the planet’s surface, whereas others are safely nestled inside the rover.
NASA and the European Space Agency have been eager to bring at least some of these rocks to Earth for detailed analysis. Nevertheless, escalating expenses and mission setbacks had begun to render the objective of returning the samples within the 2030s seemingly unachievable.
Consequently, the agency took a step back several months ago to reorganize and reassess.
Currently, it seems that the ultimate authority on the strategy for transporting those Martian rocks back to Earth will lie with the administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Earlier this month, the outgoing NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and other officials from the agency introduced two potential plans for the mission, known as Mars Sample Return, for the incoming administration to deliberate next year. This indicates that when Trump assumes office on Monday, his choice to lead the agency – likely billionaire entrepreneur and private astronaut Jared Isaacman, who last year directed the Polaris Dawn mission – will significantly influence the final verdict.
While robotic missions have successfully returned samples from the moon and space objects such as asteroids, a successful operation on Mars would signify the first occasion that rocks from another planet returned to Earth. Furthermore, once scientists have the samples, they aim to analyze them to better understand the geological history of the now-barren planet, including any evidence of past life.
“NASA’s rovers are withstanding Mars’ extreme conditions to gather innovative scientific samples,” Nicola Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, stated in a release. “We want to return those as expeditiously as feasible to analyze them in cutting-edge facilities.”
Here’s everything you need to learn regarding the Mars rock samples, prospective strategies for their return to Earth, and what lies ahead for Perseverance:
What are the Mars rock samples?
In July 2020, the Perseverance rover embarked on a 200-day, 300-million-mile expedition to arrive at Mars. After touching down in February 2021 within the Jezero Crater, the robotic vehicle, remotely steered from Earth, has since devoted almost four years to searching for and gathering more than two dozen rock samples, many of which are held in the first-ever depot on another world for NASA and the ESA to retrieve in the future.
The base of the Jezero Crater – thought to have formed 3.9 billion years ago due to a colossal impact – is regarded as one of the most encouraging locations on Mars to seek signs of ancient life.
Perseverance’s escapades have provided some insights into the mysterious Martian geology, but they pale in comparison to what could be discovered by examining rocks closely with cutting-edge technology. Although Mars rocks occasionally arrive on Earth as meteorites, such occurrences are not only infrequent, but they result in materials that have undergone changes during their journey through space and the intense heat of our atmosphere’s entry.
For these reasons, NASA and the ESA are determined to recover the untouched Mars rocks that Perseverance has gathered.
“These samples have the potential to alter our understanding of Mars, our universe, and – ultimately – ourselves,” Nelson stated in a release.
NASA’s two strategies for bringing back Martian rocks
To guarantee that the objective of returning Mars samples within the 2030s remains achievable, NASA in April 2024 searched for alternative options to the approximately $11 billion plan that the agency had previously been pursuing.
Following 11 proposals presented to NASA in September, a review team was appointed to provide final suggestions. NASA on January 7 then disclosed the two mission plans anticipated to reduce expenses to an estimated $6 to $7 billion, which agency officials believe present the best prospects for ensuring that the samples arrive well before astronauts journey to Mars.
The more conventional alternative entails the sky crane mechanism, which is the same method that lowered NASA’s Perseverance and Curiosity rovers using a cable onto the Martian terrain. The second choice could incorporate a landing system devised by private firms.
In both scenarios, the counts of spacecraft and launches would remain unchanged, as an orbiter created by the European Space Agency would be assigned the task of transporting the rocks back. However, NASA indicated that the proposed strategies would streamline the overarching mission.
NASA mentioned that a decisive determination would follow in the latter half of 2026 after engineering analyses of the specifics of each proposal.
“Pursuing two possible paths forward will guarantee that NASA can retrieve these samples from Mars with considerable cost and schedule efficiencies,” Nelson remarked.
What lies ahead for Perseverance on Mars?
As for Perseverance, the rover’s quest for Martian rocks is far from concluded.
Having spent years in the depths of Jezero, Perseverance reached the summit of the steep Martian crater in December, marking the beginning of the next stage of its exploration of Mars.
Perseverance had initiated its gradual ascent in August 2024 toward the summit of the crater, which researchers theorize was previously inundated with water. The challenging trek, which spanned well over three months, was a voyage replete with treacherous challenges – yet also instances of discovery and wonder as the six-wheeled automaton paused intermittently to examine its environment.
Upon arriving at the rim, the rover faced a quarter-mile journey to a different sector where orbital data indicates an abundance of light-toned, layered bedrock, as per NASA’s findings. In the upcoming year, the rover is anticipated to explore up to four locations within a four-mile stretch to gather samples along the northern part of the southwestern edge of Jezero’s rim.
The initial phase at the base of the crater concentrated on searching for stones thought to have partially filled the crater during its inception, stated NASA. Currently, Perseverance will be investigating stones believed to have been ejected from deep within Mars that, following the crater-producing impact, were propelled upwards to shape the rim.
Eric Lagatta reports on breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. You can reach him at [email protected]
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