NASA will inspire the world when it returns samples of Mars to Earth in 2033
NASA has completed a review of the system requirements for the Mars Sample Return Program, which has nearly completed the conceptual design phase. During this phase, the program team evaluated and refined the architecture to return science-selected samples of Mars. These samples are currently in the process of being collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover in the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater. The architecture for the campaign is expected to reduce the complexity of future missions and increase the probability of success. In addition to NASA, the program includes contributions from the European Space Agency (ESA). “The conceptual design phase is when every aspect of a mission plan is put under the microscope,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA headquarters in Washington. “There are some significant and beneficial design changes that can be directly attributed to Perseverance’s recent successes at Jezero and the amazing performance of our Mars helicopter.” This image shows a concept for a proposed NASA Sample Recovery Lander that would carry a small rocket (about 10 feet or 3 meters tall) called a Mars Ascent Vehicle to the surface of Mars. After being loaded with sealed tubes containing samples of Martian rock and soil collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover, the rocket would launch into Martian orbit. The samples will then be brought back to Earth for detailed analysis. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech This advanced mission architecture takes into account a recently updated analysis of Perseverance’s expected longevity. Persistence will now be the primary means of transporting samples to NASA’s Sample Retrieval Lander (pictured above) carrying the Mars Ascent Vehicle (pictured below) and ESA’s Sample Transfer Arm. With this change, the Mars Sample Return campaign will no longer include the Sample Fetch Rover or the associated second lander. The Sample Retrieval Lander will include two sample retrieval helicopters, based on the design of the Ingenuity helicopter, which has made 29 flights to Mars and survived more than a year beyond its original planned life. The helicopters will provide a secondary capability to retrieve samples stored on the surface of the Red Planet. This image shows NASA’s Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) in powered flight. The MAV will carry tubes containing samples of Martian rock and soil into orbit around Mars, where ESA’s Earth Return Orbiter will enclose them in a high-security containment capsule and deliver them to Earth. Credit: NASA The ESA Earth Return Orbiter and the NASA-provided Capture, Containment and Return System remain vital elements of the program architecture. With planned launch dates for the Earth Return Orbiter and Sample Retrieval Lander in fall 2027 and summer 2028, respectively, the samples are expected to reach Earth in 2033. With its architecture solidified during this conceptual design phase, the program is expected to move into its preliminary design phase this October. In this phase, which is expected to last approximately 12 months, the program will complete technology development and create engineering prototypes of key mission components. This sophisticated concept for the Mars Sample Return campaign was presented to representatives from the 22 participating countries of Europe’s Terrae Novae space exploration program in May. At their next meeting in September, the states will consider halting development of the Sample Fetch Rover. “ESA is continuing full speed ahead with the development of both the Earth Return Orbiter that will make the historic round trip from Earth to Mars and back again. and the sample transfer arm that will robotically place sample tubes on the Sample Orbiter before it is launched from the surface of the Red Planet,” said David Parker, ESA’s director of Human and Robotic Exploration. Matching campaign contributions depend on available funding from the US and participating ESA countries. More formal agreements between the two bodies will be concluded next year. “Participating in historic efforts like Mars Sample Return not only provides invaluable data about our place in the universe, but brings us closer here on Earth,” Zurbuchen said. The first step in the Mars sample return campaign is already underway. Since landing in Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021, the Perseverance Rover has collected 11 scientifically exciting rock core samples and one atmospheric sample. Transporting Martian samples to Earth would allow scientists around the world to examine the samples using sophisticated instruments too large and too complex to send to Mars and allow future generations to study them. Curating the samples on Earth would also allow the scientific community to test new theories and models as they develop, as Apollo samples returned from the Moon have done for decades. This strategic collaboration between NASA and ESA will fulfill a goal of solar system exploration that has been a high priority since the 1970s and in the past three National Academy of Sciences Decadal Surveys of Planetary Sciences.
