Nasa on Tuesday said that the final decision on how to fetch rocks from Mars will be left to the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
According to a New York Times report, Nasa is revamping its plans for the Mars Sample Return mission, an effort to bring Martian rock and soil samples back to Earth. Initially projected to cost up to $11 billion, the agency now estimates the mission could be completed for under $8 billion by reducing the size and weight of key components.
“That’s a far cry from $11 billion,” Bill Nelson, the Nasa administrator, said
Nasa’s Perseverance rover began the sample return process in 2021 by collecting rock and soil samples in Jezero Crater. Examining Martian rocks in Earth labs could unlock secrets about the planet’s history, including the possibility of past life.
Currently, orbiting spacecraft and rovers offer limited analysis. Scientists prioritise bringing Mars samples to Earth for advanced study.
The plan devised by Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, requires a complex choreography. A future robotic spacecraft will land near Perseverance to retrieve approximately 30 samples. These will then be launched into Martian orbit. A European Space Agency spacecraft will then collect the orbiting samples and return them to Earth in a landing vehicle targeted for the Utah desert.
The recent design change involves a smaller, lighter rocket for launching samples from Mars’ surface.
Outgoing Nasa administrator Nelson who will step down as Nasa administrator with the change of presidents later this month, said Nasa officials under Trump’s administration would most likely be able to make a decision sometime next year.”
He added that the program requires at least $300 million in congressional funding this year to avoid delays.
