NASA’s Answer to Mars Sample Return Problem

NASA punts Mars Sample Return decision to the next administration
Anyone hoping for a clear path forward this year for NASA's imperiled Mars Sample Return mission will have to wait a little longer.
Mars samples that could help us find alien life are stuck there until at least 2035, NASA says
Dozens of samples of rock and sediment collected from Mars that could be used to detect ancient microbial life could be returned to Earth as soon as 2035 and as late as 2039, depending on the course of the next few months, NASA announced Tuesday.
NASA won't decide on Mars Sample Return plan until mid-2026
NASA recently deemed this situation unacceptable. In April 2024, agency chief Bill Nelson announced that an overhaul of the MSR strategy is in the works, saying that NASA will seek innovative new ideas from its research centers, private industry and academia.
NASA’s Answer to Mars Sample Return Problem: Develop Two Plans
The Perseverance rover has been collecting Martian rock samples since 2021, but NASA is still figuring out how to bring them back to Earth.
NASA will announce update to Mars sample return plans today. Here's how to listen in
NASA's beleaguered Mars Sample Return program currently faces extreme costs of up to $11 billion and a timeline that could reach 2040.
NASA asked for cheaper ways to get Mars samples. It had one all along.
Recent exceptional rock discoveries have only mounted pressure on NASA to solve the problems facing its Mars Sample Return mission, its plan to fly bits of rock, dust, and air collected by Perseverance back to Earth.
NASA collected Mars rocks to haul to Earth. It still doesn’t know how.
The Mars Sample Return mission has been ranked as the highest priority by planetary scientists, who hope to find signs of ancient life on Mars.
NASA will decide how to bring soil samples back from Mars in 2026
NASA will analyze and explore two different landing options for its Mars Sample Return program, though it will take almost two years to do so and is expected to announce its decision in late 2026. The agency had to temporarily hit pause on the program after an independent review found that it could cost between $8 billion and $11 billion,
NASA Proposes Cheaper, Quicker Way to Get Mars Rocks and Soil to Earth
NASA is pitching a cheaper and quicker way of getting rocks and soil back from Mars, after seeing its original plan swell to $11 billion. Administrator Bill Nelson presented a revised scenario Tuesday,
NASA overhauls plan to bring samples from Mars back to Earth
NASA said in its announcement it is changing the plan for the spacecraft that will land on Mars to retrieve the samples and exploring two new, different options. One of the option
NASA Will Let Trump Decide How to Bring Mars Rocks to Earth
The Mars Sample Return effort was billions of dollars over budget and not expected to return to Earth with its samples until 2040.

Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Hot 100

Bruno Mars Breaks His Tie With Elton John And Adele
As “Die with a Smile” finally reaches the top of the Hot 100, Bruno Mars breaks a historic tie with both Elton John and Adele ...
NASA collected potential evidence of life on Mars. Now it’s pitching new plans to retrieve the cache
NASA has arrived at two ways of returning samples collected on Mars to Earth. Now, the agency will test the options to see if ...
NASA exploring 2 options to lower costs, speed up Mars Sample Return mission
NASA hopes a revised plan will get Mars samples back to Earth faster and cost less than the agency's original plan.
Wildfire Photos Show Southern California Devastation—'Looks Like Mars'
Photos show homes and infrastructure in the affluent Californian neighborhood of Pacific Palisades have been destroyed as ...
NASA’s Big Mars Update: How to Watch the Upcoming Sample Return Reveal
The space agency will provide a broadcast update on the marquee mission that is intended to recover samples of Martian rock ...
NASA Eyes SpaceX, Blue Origin To Cut Mars Rock Retrieval Costs
NASA announced Tuesday it may turn to Elon Musk's SpaceX or Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin to help reduce the soaring costs of ...
Space on MSN1d
Springtime on Mars brings frost avalanches, gas geysers and explosions (photos)
"Springtime on Earth has lots of trickling as water ice gradually melts. But on Mars, everything happens with a bang," Serina ...