Mars, NASA

NASA is fighting to return samples from Mars. Here are the two ways it might do it in the 2030s
NASA has arrived at two ways of returning samples collected on Mars to Earth. Now, the agency will test the options to see if the cache can make it back in the 2030s.
NASA studies options to reign in cost of flagship Mars Sample Return mission
NASA hopes a revised plan will get Mars samples back to Earth faster and cost less than the agency's original plan.
NASA won't decide on Mars Sample Return plan until mid-2026
NASA recently deemed this situation unacceptable. In April 2024, agency chief Bill Nelson announced that an overhaul of the MSR strategy is in the works, saying that NASA will seek innovative new ideas from its research centers, private industry and academia.
NASA exploring two lower-cost options to go forward with Mars Sample Return mission
NASA announced Tuesday that it is exploring two options to move forward with its mission to return samples from Mars at a lower cost.
NASA’s Big Mars Update: How to Watch the Upcoming Sample Return Reveal
The space agency will provide a broadcast update on the marquee mission that is intended to recover samples of Martian rock for study on Earth.
NASA will announce update to Mars sample return plans today. Here's how to listen in
NASA's beleaguered Mars Sample Return program currently faces extreme costs of up to $11 billion and a timeline that could reach 2040.
Can NASA's troubled Mars Sample Return mission be saved?
An independent review team is delivering a final report to NASA leadership to determine if the agency's Mars Sample Return mission is salvageable after facing scrutiny for its $11 billion budget.
NASA to Host Media Call Highlighting Mars Sample Return Update
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EST, Tuesday, Jan. 7, to provide an update on the status of the agency's Mars Sample Return Program.
NASA collected Mars rocks to haul to Earth. It still doesn’t know how.
The Mars Sample Return mission has been ranked as the highest priority by planetary scientists, who hope to find signs of ...
NASA proposes cheaper, quicker way to get Mars rocks and soil to Earth
NASA is pitching a cheaper and quicker way of getting rocks and soil back from Mars. Administrator Bill Nelson presented two ...
NASA Will Let Trump Decide How to Bring Mars Rocks to Earth
The Mars Sample Return effort was billions of dollars over budget and not expected to return to Earth with its samples until 2040.
NASA eyes SpaceX, Blue Origin to cut Mars rock retrieval costs
NASA announced Tuesday it may turn to Elon Musk's SpaceX or Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin to help reduce the soaring costs of ...
NASA exploring two new options for costly Mars sample return mission
A European service vehicle would help return the cigar-sized samples. The second option uses new commercial capabilities to ...
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NASA’s Answer to Mars Sample Return Problem: Develop Two Plans
NASA's Perseverance rover collected samples from Mars and stored them in tubes. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS NASA’s Perseverance rover has been hard at work on Mars, collecting pieces of rock and ...
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Elon Musk slams NASA for prioritizing the Moon over Mars
Elon Musk has taken aim at NASA for focusing on exploring the Moon rather than launching missions to Mars. The Red Planet has ...
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Springtime on Mars brings frost avalanches, gas geysers and explosions (photos)
"Springtime on Earth has lots of trickling as water ice gradually melts. But on Mars, everything happens with a bang," Serina ...