Nasa on Tuesday said that the final decision on how to fetch rocks from Mars will be left to the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
In an effort to gain Martian rock and soil samples to Earth, Nasa is updating its strategies, according to a report from the New York Times. The organization now believes that the goal could be completed for under$ 8 billion by reducing the size and weight of key pieces, which was originally anticipated to be up to$ 11 billion.
” That’s a far cry from$ 11 billion”, Bill Nelson, the Nasa administrator, said
In Jezero Crater, NASA’s Perseverance rover collected rock and earth tests in 2021, launching the sample-return approach. In Earth laboratory, studying Martian stones might reveal clues about the galaxy’s past, including the possibility of past life.
Now, orbiting aircraft and spacecraft offer limited evaluation. Prioritizing the shipment of Mars specimens to Earth for in-depth research is a priority for researchers.
The program devised by Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, requires a complex dance. A futuristic mechanical aircraft will set up shop close to Perseverance to pick up 30 samples. Finally, these will be launched into Mars ‘ circle. The circling samples will then be collected by a spacecraft from the European Space Agency and delivered to Earth in a mission to the Utah desert.
A smaller, lighter spacecraft is being used to launch specimens from Mars ‘ area, according to the latest style change.
Nelson, the incoming Nasa administrator who will move over as the company’s executive following the change of president later this month, stated that Nasa officers under Trump’s presidency would most likely be able to make a decision sometime in the future.
He added that to avoid delays, the program needs at least$ 300 million in congressional funding this year.
