NASA reevaluates Mars Sample Return program due to concerns over complexity and budget constraints

Published: 15 April 2024 at 20:31

Science

NASA is reviewing the Mars Sample Return program, a joint effort with the European Space Agency, after concerns were raised about its complexity, high costs, and delayed return date. Originally expected to return samples by 2031, budget cuts have forced NASA to reevaluate the program aiming to keep the cost between $5 billion to $7 billion. The agency is facing a $2.5 billion cut in spending for 2024 and 2025, impacting the timeline and budget of the mission, which is considered one of the most intricate in NASA's history.

DEEP DIVE

NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return (Wikipedia)

The NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return is a proposed Flagship-class Mars sample return (MSR) mission to collect Martian rock and soil samples in 43 small, cylindrical, pencil-sized, titanium tubes and return them to Earth around 2033.The NASA–ESA plan, approved in September 2022, is to return samples using three missions: a sample collection mission (Perseverance), a sample retrieval mission (Sample Retrieval Lander + Mars Ascent Vehicle + Sample Transfer Arm + 2 Ingenuity-class helicopters), and a return mission (Earth Return Orbiter). The mission hopes to resolve the question of whether Mars once harbored life.Although the proposal is still in the design stage, the Perseverance rover is currently gathering samples on Mars and the components of the sample retrieval lander are in testing phase on earth.After a project review critical of its cost and complexity, NASA announced that the project was "paused" as of 13 November 2023. On 22 November 2023, NASA was reported to have cut back on the Mars sample-return mission due to a possible shortage of funds. In April 2024, in a NASA update via teleconference, the NASA Administrator emphasized continuing the commitment to retrieving the samples. However, under the then-current mission profile, the cost of $11 billion was infeasible, therefore NASA would turn to industry and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to form a new, more fiscally feasible mission profile to retrieve the samples, with responses expected by fall 2024.

Mars sample-return mission (Wikipedia)

A Mars sample-return (MSR) mission is a proposed mission to collect rock and dust samples on Mars and return them to Earth. Such a mission would allow more extensive analysis than that allowed by onboard sensors.Risks of cross-contamination of the Earth biosphere from returned Martian samples have been raised, though the risk of this occurring is considered to be low.The most recent concepts are a NASA-ESA proposal; a CNSA proposal, Tianwen-3; a Roscosmos proposal, Mars-Grunt; and a JAXA proposal, Martian Moons eXploration (MMX). Although NASA and ESA's plans to return the samples to Earth are still in the design stage as of 2023, samples have been gathered on Mars by the Perseverance rover.In January 2024, a proposed NASA plan had been challenged due to budget and scheduling considerations, and a newer overhaul plan undertaken.

Sample-return mission (Wikipedia)

A sample-return mission is a spacecraft mission to collect and return samples from an extraterrestrial location to Earth for analysis. Sample-return missions may bring back merely atoms and molecules or a deposit of complex compounds such as loose material and rocks. These samples may be obtained in a number of ways, such as soil and rock excavation or a collector array used for capturing particles of solar wind or cometary debris. Nonetheless, concerns have been raised that the return of such samples to planet Earth may endanger Earth itself.To date, samples of Moon rock from Earth's Moon have been collected by robotic and crewed missions; the comet Wild 2 and the asteroids 25143 Itokawa, 162173 Ryugu, and 101955 Bennu have been visited by robotic spacecraft which returned samples to Earth; and samples of the solar wind have been returned by the robotic Genesis mission.In addition to sample-return missions, samples from three identified non-terrestrial bodies have been collected by other means: samples from the Moon in the form of Lunar meteorites, samples from Mars in the form of Martian meteorites, and samples from Vesta in the form of HED meteorites.On 22 November 2023, NASA was reported to have cut back on the Mars sample-return mission due to a possible shortage of funds.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to lay off employees and contractors due to budget constraints

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will lay off 530 employees, around 8% of its workforce, and 40 contractors in an effort to reduce spending. The layoffs come as Congress has yet to issue the final budget for 2024 and make a decision on funding for the Mars Sample Return (MSR) program. NASA had requested $949.3 million for the MSR program but is likely to receive only $300 million, indicating a reduction in funding for the agency's ambitious goals for 2028.

The Unregulated Space Business: Future of Space Exploration and Concerns

Recent milestones in the space industry include a commercial spacecraft landing on the moon and SpaceX's Starship successfully launching, highlighting NASA's aims for lunar missions and Mars exploration. Companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin aim to play vital roles, with Elon Musk envisioning a Mars city and Jeff Bezos picturing giant space stations. Concerns arise regarding potential exploitation of space resources and lack of regulations, prompting experts to call for governmental intervention to establish rules for moon landings, asteroid mining, and other space activities.

European Space Agency Science Programme (Wikipedia)

The Science Programme of the European Space Agency is a long-term programme of space science and space exploration missions. Managed by the agency's Directorate of Science, The programme funds the development, launch, and operation of missions led by European space agencies and institutions through generational campaigns. Horizon 2000, the programme's first campaign, facilitated the development of eight missions between 1985 and 1995 including four "cornerstone missions" – SOHO and Cluster II, XMM-Newton, Rosetta, and Herschel. Horizon 2000 Plus, the programme's second campaign, facilitated the development of Gaia, LISA Pathfinder, and BepiColombo between 1995 and 2005. The programme's current campaign since 2005, Cosmic Vision, has so far funded the development of ten missions including three flagship missions, JUICE, Athena, and LISA. The programme's upcoming fourth campaign, Voyage 2050, is currently being drafted. Collaboration with agencies and institutions outside of Europe occasionally occur in the Science Programme, including a collaboration with NASA on Cassini–Huygens and the CNSA on SMILE.

List of missions to Mars (Wikipedia)

This is a list of spacecraft missions (including unsuccessful ones) to the planet Mars, such as orbiters, landers, and rovers.

NASA (Wikipedia)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. Established in 1958, it succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to give the U.S. space development effort a distinctly civilian orientation, emphasizing peaceful applications in space science. It has since led most American space exploration, including Project Mercury, Project Gemini, the 1968–1972 Apollo Moon landing missions, the Skylab space station, and the Space Shuttle. It currently supports the International Space Station and oversees the development of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System for the crewed lunar Artemis program, the Commercial Crew spacecraft, and the planned Lunar Gateway space station.NASA's science is focused on better understanding Earth through the Earth Observing System; advancing heliophysics through the efforts of the Science Mission Directorate's Heliophysics Research Program; exploring bodies throughout the Solar System with advanced robotic spacecraft such as New Horizons and planetary rovers such as Perseverance; and researching astrophysics topics, such as the Big Bang, through the James Webb Space Telescope, the Great Observatories and associated programs. The Launch Services Program oversees launch operations and countdown management for its uncrewed launches.

US and Japan Agreement: First Non-American Astronaut to Walk on the Moon

The United States and Japan have agreed to send Japanese astronauts to join American missions to the moon, with one becoming the first non-American to land on the lunar surface. This partnership, announced by President Joe Biden during a visit by Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, aims to enhance scientific and educational ties between the two countries. Japan will provide a pressurized rover for NASA's Artemis program, allowing astronauts to stay on the moon for several days, while the US and Japan plan to work together to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon.