Samples are waiting for us on Mars. Here’s how to get them back. NASA’s Mars Sample Return program is a top scientific priority, but findings from an independent review board show that the project’s current schedule and budget are untenable. The Planetary Society has outlined a set of principles by which we believe the Mars Sample Return program must be reworked in order to succeed. Pictured: A photomontage showing 10 sample tubes deposited onto the Martian surface by NASA’s Perseverance rover. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS.
Get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Mars Sample Return. In this edited transcript of an interview from Planetary Radio: Space Policy Edition, Orlando Figueroa, who chaired the independent board that reviewed the MSR program, explains the challenges it has faced, the issues at the core of those problems, and what needs to be done to get MSR back on track.
On the brighter side, two extraordinarily successful Mars missions just celebrated an anniversary. January marks 20 years since NASA’s twin Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, touched down on the surface of the red planet. The rovers were meant to operate for 90 days but ended up far exceeding that expected lifetime, with Opportunity operating for nearly 15 years. Matt Golombek, project scientist for the Mars Exploration Rover Project, joins this week’s Planetary Radio to celebrate.
There’s a lot to look forward to this year in space. From wondrous sights to behold in the sky to a slew of exploration missions launching, there are plenty of cosmic events to look forward to. Here’s a tour of what to expect.