NASA plans to recover possible signs of life from Mars
NASA plans to recover possible signs of life from Mars
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New strategies for the return of Mars samples
According to NASA, there are now two new potential strategies to bring important samples from Mars to the 2030s to Earth.
These suggestions present alternatives to the original Mars sample return program The European Space Organization (ESA) was designed, according to an independent report, was considered unwieldy, the projected costs of up to $ 11 billion. In addition, the expected return date of the samples from 2031 was postponed to 2040-a delay that NASA administrator Bill Nelson describes as "simply unacceptable".
decision by the end of 2026
The agency will decide between the newly proposed strategies until the second half of 2026 that aim to reduce complexity, costs and mission duration, Nelson announced during a press conference.
The NASA Perseverance-Rover Stone and dust has collected since its landing in February 2021. Scientists believe that these rehearsals-which come from the Jezero crater, which was once an old lake and river delt region-could be one of the few options to find out whether life ever existed on the red planet .
complexity of the rehearsal return
The return of rehearsals to Earth is a complex matter that could provide answers to the greatest questions of humanity about the possibilities of life outside of earth. Both the original and the new programs include several space vehicles that are used to land on Mars and to transport the samples back to earth.
In April NASA asked for various centers and industrial partners to develop new plans for the return of rehearsals in a more efficient and inexpensive manner. The Mars Sample Return Strategic Review team evaluated 11 of the studies and submitted recommendations, which were then further refined by the leadership.
Two new landing options
"We explore two new landing options," said Dr. Nicky Fox, deputy administrator of the NASA science mission directorate. "The first is based on technologies that were previously used to land both the Perseverance and the Curiosity Rover on Mars. The second refers to options from industry."
The first option uses the sky Crane method , which was used for admission, descent and landing of the two rovers. The second option will use new commercial possibilities and partners to use a "heavy-duty vehicle" lander, such as designs from companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin to bring to Mars, so Nelson.
The challenges of the Mars atmosphere
Mars has long presented a challenge for landing vehicles because its thin atmosphere is thick enough to burn space vehicles without a protective heat shield. In addition, the Mars atmosphere is too thin to rely on parachutes to enable a safe approach.
For the derivation of the heavy-weight curiosity rovers, a system called Sky Crane developed to secure the rover during the entry, descending and landing. During the first descent, a heat shield, a parachute and recoil missiles slowed down the spacecraft.
Then the Sky Crane let the rover use a strong cable to the surface of the red planet. Then the Sky Crane separated and landed uncontrollably near the location. The same design was used in 2021 to land Perseverance, and the team could even have a .
Mission to return the Mars samples
The Mars Sample Return mission is the first of its kind to bring scientific rehearsals back to earth from an habitable planet. "We would like to bring these samples back as soon as possible to examine them in the most modern facilities," she added. "The Mars Sample Return will enable scientists to understand the geological history of the planet and to explore the development of the climate on this hostile planet, where there may have been life. In addition, this will lead light on the early solar system before life began here on earth and help us to send the first human researchers safely to Mars."
tests and technical challenges
The agency will test the feasibility of both options at the NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, California and tackle the technical challenges of all planning. The newly proposed strategies offer the opportunity to bring the rehearsals back to Earth in 2035 or 2039 at the latest, with costs between 5.5 and 7.7 billion US dollars-"a broad difference" to the original figures, says Nelson.
"The persecution of two possible ways will ensure that NASA is able to bring these samples back with considerable cost and time savings compared to the previous plan," said Nelson. "These samples have the potential to change our idea of Mars, our universe and ultimately also from ourselves."
The way to the future
While both options are more efficient than the original plan, they each have a similar architecture that requires a landing of a Mars Ascent Vehicle on the surface of Mars. This vehicle is loaded with the rehearsals collected by Perseverance, from where it took off and a rendezvous with the ESA-earth return orbiter in the marsorbit.
Then the orbiter is na