NASA seeks faster, cheaper way to bring Mars samples to Earth
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s plan to bring samples from Mars back to Earth is on hold until there’s a faster, cheaper way, space agency officials said Monday.
Retrieving Mars soil and rocks has been on NASA’s to-do list for decades, but the date kept moving forward, as costs ballooned. A recent independent review put the total cost at $8 billion to $11 billion, with an arrival date of 2040, about a decade later than advertised.
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.
“We want to get every new and fresh idea that we can,” he said at a news conference.
NASA’s rover Perseverance already has gathered 24 core samples in tubes since landing in 2021 at Mars’ Jezero Crater, an ancient river delta. The goal is more than 30 samples to scour for possible signs of ancient Martian life.
Related articles
ACL injuries are more common in women soccer players than men. We may learn why
An English study into the causes of knee injuries to women soccer players was launched on Tuesday.‘P2024-05-01A new report says Mexico has abandoned protection of loggerhead sea turtles
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government has largely abandoned protection and enforcement measures2024-05-01Insider Q&A: Trust and safety exec talks about AI and content moderation
Alex Popken was a longtime trust and safety executive at Twitter focusing on content moderation befo2024-05-01Biden will send Ukraine air defense weapons, artillery once Senate approves, Zelenskyy says
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday the U.S2024-05-01Scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year, an FBI report says
WASHINGTON (AP) — Scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year, according to2024-05-01Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice: Lose his arm or lose his life
GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (AP) — Out of air and pinned by an alligator to the bottom of the Cooper River in2024-05-01
atest comment