The Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission is an ambitious collaborative project between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) aimed at collecting rock and soil samples from Mars and bringing them back to Earth for detailed analysis. This groundbreaking endeavor involves multiple stages, including the deployment of a rover to Mars to collect and cache samples, a subsequent mission to retrieve these samples and launch them into Mars orbit, and a final spacecraft designed to capture the orbiting samples and safely transport them back to Earth. The scientific goal of MSR is to analyze the Martian samples in sophisticated Earth laboratories to search for signs of past life on Mars and to study the planet’s geology and climate history, potentially providing insights into the broader questions of planetary formation and evolution in our solar system.
Tucked away with each rock and soil sample collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover is a potential boon for atmospheric scientists. NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is…
NASA’s Mars Sample Return mission is grappling with escalating costs and a postponed timeline, prompting a search for more efficient methods from the private sector…
The Mars Ascent Vehicle team completed crucial wind tunnel tests at NASA’s facility, paving the way for the first rocket launch from Mars. This joint…
NASA established the board in May 2023 to evaluate the technical, cost, and schedule plans prior to confirmation of the mission’s design. NASA’s mission to…
NASA’s Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) recently achieved key milestones in its preparation for a 2028 launch. The vehicle, part of the Mars Sample Return program,…
The board, initiated by NASA, will provide added confidence that the program won’t exceed guidelines following an important upcoming milestone. NASA will convene a Mars…
NASA’s Red Planet rover snapped a portrait of the sample depot it has assembled with 10 backup sample tubes that could be returned to Earth…
NASA and the European Space Agency are developing plans for one of the most ambitious campaigns ever attempted in space: bringing the first samples of…
A potential hazard for any space mission, including NASA’s Mars Sample Return, is micrometeorites. These tiny rocks can travel up to 50 miles per second…
NASA Will Inspire World When It Returns Mars Samples to Earth in 2033 NASA has completed the system requirements review for its Mars Sample Return…
The six-wheeled roving explorer has inspected a stretch of the Red Planet to see if it is flat enough for NASA’s next Mars lander. While…
Meet Angie Jackman, the project manager of the first rocket to launch from the surface of another planet, the Mars Ascent Vehicle. Right now, some…
The award brings NASA a step closer to the first robotic round trip to bring samples safely to Earth through the Mars Sample Return Program….
Engineers are developing the crucial hardware needed for a series of daring space missions that will be carried out in the coming decade. Testing has…
This illustration shows a concept for a set of future robots working together to ferry back samples from the surface of Mars collected by NASA’s Mars…