NASA proposes cheaper mars sample return plan
NASA is proposing a new, cost-effective strategy for returning rocks and soil from Mars, following the original plan's budget surge to US$11 billion. Administrator Bill Nelson announced this revised approach just weeks before his departure as NASA chief.
Nelson stated he had abandoned the initial sample return plan due to rising costs and delays, which would push returns past 2040. NASA is now exploring two options, each estimated to cost between US$6 billion and US$7 billion, aimed at ensuring the Perseverance rover's samples arrive on Earth in the 2030s.
Both options would keep the same number of spacecraft and launches but simplify the mission by cleaning sample tubes on the Martian surface and switching from solar to nuclear power to withstand dust storms. Nelson noted that the final decision will be up to the incoming administration, which will need to secure funding soon.
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