NASA’s Bold vision: Swift and Affordable Return of Mars Samples by the 2030s!

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has formulated two new approaches to transport essential samples from Mars back to Earth, targeting a return in the 2030s.

These initiatives provide alternatives to the original Mars Sample Return scheme – a joint venture between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). The original plan, estimated to cost as much as $11 billion, underwent an independent evaluation that deemed it overly intricate and expensive. It also pushed the anticipated sample return to a window between 2031 and 2040, a postponement described as “simply unacceptable” by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

The two new approaches are anticipated to bring the samples back to Earth between 2035 and 2039, with expenses ranging from $5.5 billion to $7.7 billion, a considerable decrease from the initial proposal.

Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, stated, “We are investigating two new landing strategies. One utilizes technology from the Perseverance and Curiosity rover landings, while the other incorporates new commercial capabilities from industry partners.”

The first approach would employ the sky crane technique, successfully used for landing the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. The second alternative would involve commercial partners, such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, providing a “heavy-lift vehicle” lander to Mars. Both techniques are designed to address Mars’ thin atmosphere, which complicates landings due to insufficient air density for parachutes alone to decelerate spacecraft.

NASA is set to make a decision on the new strategies, intended to enhance simplicity, lower costs, and shorten timelines, by mid-2026, Mr. Nelson announced during a press briefing. The Perseverance rover, which touched down on Mars in February 2021, has been collecting samples from Jezero Crater, believed to contain crucial information regarding the possibility of life on Mars. However, returning these samples to Earth is a complex task that necessitates multiple spacecraft for landing and transport.

Both approaches maintain a similar fundamental framework. A Mars Ascent Vehicle, filled with samples gathered by Perseverance, will land on Mars. Following its launch, it will meet up with ESA’s Earth Return Orbiter in orbit around Mars, which will subsequently transport the samples back to Earth. In contrast to the original plan, NASA has opted for a direct return of the samples to Earth, eliminating additional steps to retrieve them from lunar orbit.

Mr. Nelson highlighted that the forthcoming administration, led by President-elect Donald Trump, will ultimately make decisions regarding funding and the future of the program. Although Mr. Nelson has not yet conferred with Jared Isaacman, Trump’s choice to head NASA, he mentioned the importance of providing multiple options for returning Mars samples.