NASA seeks faster, cheaper way to bring Mars samples to Earth
Time:2024-05-21 15:40:12 Source:styleViews(143)
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.
Previous:Student fatally shot, suspect detained at Georgia's Kennesaw State University
Next:Yu Darvish extends scoreless innings streak to 25 in Padres' 9
You may also like
- Shooting injures 2 at Missouri high school graduation ceremony
- Landlocked Xinjiang cashes in on aquatic products
- China hosts 135th Canton Fair in Guangzhou
- Xinhe County in Hebei promotes handmade dried noodles to raise income
- Mohammad Mokhber: Who is Iran’s acting president?
- People of Zhuang ethnic group celebrate traditional diving festival in Guizhou
- Light decorations for upcoming Spring Festival in Xi'an
- 20th Shambhala Tourism Festival kicks off in Gansu
- Why US Catholics are planning pilgrimages in communities across the nation