CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s plan to bring samples from Mars back to Earth is on hold until there’s a faster, cheaper way, space agency officials said Monday.
Retrieving Mars soil and rocks has been on NASA’s to-do list for decades, but the date kept moving forward, as costs ballooned. A recent independent review put the total cost at $8 billion to $11 billion, with an arrival date of 2040, about a decade later than advertised.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said that’s too much and too late. He’s asking private industry and the space agency’s centers to come up with other options to revamp the project. With NASA facing across-the-board budget cuts, he wants to avoid gutting other science projects to finance the Mars sample project.
“We want to get every new and fresh idea that we can,” he said at a news conference.
NASA’s rover Perseverance already has gathered 24 core samples in tubes since landing in 2021 at Mars’ Jezero Crater, an ancient river delta. The goal is more than 30 samples to scour for possible signs of ancient Martian life.
With Djokovic awaiting the winner, Murray trails Hanfmann at rain
Xi Sends Congratulations to Micronesia's New President
Tulips make rural economy flourish in E China's village
OpenAI pauses ChatGPT voice after Scarlett Johansson comparisons
Xi Calls on National Art Museum of China to Build Worldwide Prestige
District in Guiyang of SW China eyes rural vitalization with agritourism
Flowers make rural economy blossom
Trump accepts a VP debate but wants it on Fox News. Harris has already said yes to CBS
World welcomes China's resumption of outbound tourism
Young Boys seals 6th Swiss soccer league title in 7 years after rallying from firing coach Wicky
Blooming redbud flowers adorn countryside in C China