Nasa: 'New plan needed to return rocks from Mars'

Source: BBC

Nasa: 'New plan needed to return rocks from Mars'

15 April 2024
By Jonathan Amos,
Science correspondent,
@BBCAmos

The quest to return rock samples from Mars to Earth to see if they contain traces of past life is going to go through a major overhaul.

The US space agency says the current mission design could not return the materials before 2040 on the existing funds and the $11bn (£9bn) to make it happen sooner is not sustainable.

Nasa is going to canvas ideas for a cheaper, faster alternative.

It hopes to have a solution on the drawing board later in the year.

Returning rock samples from Mars is regarded as the single most important priority in planetary exploration, and has been for decades.

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Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68819153