NASA 考虑其他方式将火星样本带回地球

NASA's Perseverance rover landed on Mars in 2021 and collected soil and rock samples from the Jezero Crater. These samples are crucial for understanding Mars' history and transition to its current state. However, proposed budget cuts have put the future of the NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission in jeopardy. Consequently, NASA is seeking more cost-effective and rapid methods to bring the samples back to Earth. This includes conducting studies and partnering with commercial companies to develop innovative ideas for the mission.

The MSR mission, representing decades of effort, was originally planned to be carried out by a crewed mission in 2033. Delays and budget concerns have pushed the timeline, leading to a joint mission architecture between NASA and the European Space Agency to return the samples by 2031. However, the current budget constraints have forced NASA to revise its plan, aiming to leverage existing technology and return the Mars samples by the 2030s.

As part of this revised plan, NASA has selected seven aerospace companies to develop sample-return concepts, including regular partners like Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Blue Origin, and Northrop Grumman, as well as newcomers Quantum Space and Whittinghill Aerospace. The agency has awarded a total of $10 million to these companies to develop their concepts.

This move reflects NASA's historical collaboration with the commercial sector to advance its mission concepts. However, it also underscores the agency's ongoing budget challenges, with experts emphasizing the need for increased funding to realize its ambitious goals for future space exploration.