NASA unveils new plan to return Mars samples at lower cost and faster pace

courant.com

NASA has proposed a new plan to return rocks and soil from Mars that is cheaper and faster than the original $11 billion plan. Administrator Bill Nelson announced this change, aiming to bring samples back in the 2030s. The revised plan includes two options costing between $6 billion and $7 billion. Both options would keep the same number of spacecraft and launches but streamline the mission. One option uses a traditional landing method, while the other involves private companies. NASA's Perseverance rover has collected over two dozen samples since 2021. The new plan would clean the sample tubes on Mars and switch to nuclear power to withstand dust storms. A final decision on the plan will be made next year.


With a significance score of 5.1, this news ranks in the top 2% of today's 18017 analyzed articles.

Get summaries of news with significance over 5.5 (usually ~10 stories per week). Read by 9000 minimalists.