Mars rover's costly quest: Potential life signs in jeopardy
The Perseverance rover has collected Martian rock samples in two different ways, which NASA believes may contain evidence of extraterrestrial life. This effort has been ongoing since 2021, with rocks and sediments gathered from the ancient Martian lakebed. However, there is a challenge – it is unclear whether the samples can be brought back to Earth for analysis.
Initially, the plan was to analyze the samples by 2033, but it is already known that the entire project will be delayed and significantly more costly than initially thought. By 2026, NASA will decide on the method to retrieve the samples for study.
Pursuing two potential paths forward will ensure that NASA is able to bring these samples back from Mars with significant cost and schedule saving compared to the previous plan. These samples have the potential to change the way we understand Mars, our universe, and – ultimately – ourselves, said Bill Nelson from NASA, as quoted by Live Science.
It is possible that the Perseverance rover has already found signs of life on Mars in the Jezero crater lake samples. This will only be known once scientists return to Earth and examine the samples in the lab.
Initially, NASA's Mars Sample Return program was expected to cost $7 (CAD 10) billion, but costs have increased to $11 (CAD 16) billion.
By September 2024, NASA was accepting proposals on how the return of samples to Earth should be executed. Eleven proposals were submitted, and NASA selected two.
How to recover samples from Mars without destroying them? There are two options
The first option relies on a proven landing system design involving a rocket crane that uses cables to lower the lander. NASA used this method to land the Perseverance rover on Mars, and its cost is estimated between $6.6–$7.7 (CAD 9.5–CAD 11.1) billion. The second option is based on new commercial capabilities within the private sector, with an estimated cost of $5.8–$7.1 (CAD 8.4–CAD 10.2) billion.
The Mars Agent Vehicle will transport the rock samples into orbit. From there, the samples will be picked up by the European Space Agency's Earth Return Orbiter, which – launched no earlier than 2027 – will collect the samples and transport them back to Earth.
Mars Sample Return will allow scientists to understand the planet’s geological history and the evolution of climate on this barren planet where life may have existed in the past and shed light on the early solar system before life began here on Earth. This will also prepare us to safely send the first human explorers to Mars, admitted Nicola Fox, Deputy Director of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
