NASA, Partner Establish New Research Group for Mars Sample Return Program
Sixteen scientists from the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Japan have been chosen to help future samples from the Red Planet achieve their full potential.
WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA and ESA (European Space Agency), its partner in the Mars Sample Return Program, have established a new group of researchers to maximize the scientific potential of Mars rock and sediment samples that would be returned to Earth for in-depth analysis. Called the Mars Sample Return Campaign Science Group, the 16 researchers will function as a science resource for the campaign’s project teams as well as for related Earth-based ground projects, such as sample recovery and curation.
“These 16 individuals will be the standard-bearers for Mars Sample Return science,” said Michael Meyer, Mars Exploration Program lead scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “They will build the roadmap by which science for this historic endeavor is accomplished – including establishing the processes for sample-related decision-making and designing the procedures that will allow the worldwide scientific community to become involved with these first samples from another world.”
The members of the Mars Sample Return Campaign Science Group are:
- Laura Rodriguez – NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Southern California
- Michael Thorpe – Johnson Space Center Engineering, Technology and Science at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston / Texas State University, San Marcos
- Audrey Bouvier – Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universität Bayreuth, Germany
- Andy Czaja – Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati
- Nicolas Dauphas – Origins Laboratory, the University of Chicago
- Katherine French – Central Energy Resources Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver
- Lydia Hallis – School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK
- Rachel Harris – Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Boston
- Ernst Hauber – Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center, Germany
- Suzanne Schwenzer – School of Earth, Environment and Ecosystem Sciences, the Open University, UK
- Andrew Steele – Earth and Planetary Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington
- Kimberly Tait – Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Canada
- Tomohiro Usui – Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
- Jessica Vanhomwegen – Laboratory for Urgent Response to Biological Threats, Institut Pasteur, France
- Michael Veibel – Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Michigan State University
- Maria-Paz Zorzano Mier – Astrobiology Center, National Institute for Aerospace Technology, Spain
The first Mars Sample Return Campaign Science Group meeting is scheduled for June 28-29.
NASA’s Mars Sample Return Campaign promises to revolutionize humanity’s understanding of Mars by bringing scientifically selected samples to Earth for study using the most sophisticated instruments around the world. The campaign would fulfill a solar system exploration goal, a high priority since the 1970s and in the last three National Academy of Sciences Planetary Decadal Surveys.
This strategic NASA and ESA partnership would be the first mission to return samples from another planet and the first launch from the surface of another planet. The samples collected by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover during its exploration of an ancient lakebed are thought to present the best opportunity to reveal clues about the early evolution of Mars, including the potential for past life. By better understanding the history of Mars, we will improve our understanding of all rocky planets in the solar system, including Earth.
Learn more about the Mars Sample Return Program here:
15 responses to “NASA, Partner Establish New Research Group for Mars Sample Return Program”
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It’s an absolute shambles that this is still a solid rocket MAV plan. Why did they even do MOXIE?
Unless you come up with another option. It is either a solid rocket or a hypergolic rocket for the MAV. Both options got pros and cons.
So much for making the fuel from the Martian atmosphere for the return flight…
I suspect that we’re a long way away from that. But…not to worry. This little sample return project is going to cost quite a bundle without any added complications. Best of luck to all concerned.
Yes, it will clean out the NASA, and it’s partners’, science budget for many years until someday it’s done.
The irony is…that same amount of money, given to SpaceX to do a milestone based crewed Mars sample return mission, would probably get the job done just as quickly. Just saying…
NASA and its partners are in a race with SpaceX to see who gets to return some samples from Mars back to Earth first. NASA is planning on returning a couple of kilograms in samples versus at least a couple of metric tons of samples by SpaceX. Presuming only one Starship returns to Earth. The odds don’t favor NASA.
Yeah. It would seem that NASA has a bit of a love/hate relationship with SX. I’m still ‘over the Moon’ that Jurczyk and Lueders picked it for the HLS award. I sincerely believe that Nelson would not have made that choice.
If I am recalling the latest figures correctly the Starship would be able to deliver 30-40 metric tons to Earth from the Mars. Plenty of rocks for the Mars scientists to study.?
AIUI. For a Starship to do SSTO from Mars then back to Earth with direct entry. Doesn’t required full propellant tanks. However it reduces the payload mass on the Starship which includes the consumables for the crew.
Just use a cargo one and eliminate the crew, the advantage of sending fleets of Starships to Mars instead of just one, the NASA way…
It is hard to make propellants by ISRU with the limited down mass of current NASA lander technology. Which IIRC is about 1 metric ton for the lander and everything on it plus any fly away propulsion module.
lol thats a musk fantasy
There have been perfectly viable proposals for either hybrid or liquid biprops with in-situ produced propellants. It’s a matter of prioritizing technology investment
the launch profile is fascinating Polaris lives
as it does in the Keepers of the Sea