NASA is seeking a faster, cheaper way to bring rock samples from Mars to Earth. In the meantime, the space agency says the effort is on hold. Reviews put the total cost of the project at $11 billion, with an arrival date of 2040. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says that's too much and too late.
This photo provided by NASA shows the Perseverance Mars rover collecting a sample from a rock called “Bunsen Peak” using a coring bit on the end of its robotic arm on March 11, 2024. NASA has put the effort to bring the samples to Earth on hold until there is a faster, cheaper way. This photo provided by NASA shows a coring bit used by the Mars Perseverance rover to collect a sample on Oct. 14, 2023.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that’s too much and too late. He’s asking private industry and the space agency’s centers to come up with other options to revamp the project. With NASA facing across-the-board budget cuts, he wants to avoid gutting other science projects to finance the Mars sample project.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 at the news conference when the samples might arrive at Earth, given a new program and timeline, or even how many samples might be returned. That information will be included in any proposals, she said.
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