Mars Sample Return Scientifically Critical, But Eye-Poppingly Expensive
Mars Sample Return Scientifically Critical, But Eye-Poppingly Expensive
Posted: September 21, 2023 8:17 pm ET | Last Updated: September 21, 2023 8:17 pm ET | A second Independent Review Board on the NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return mission concludes that the mission cannot be completed on the cost and schedule NASA advertises. The current design would cost $8-9.6 billion and...
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Didn't the latest stuff sent up there have the ability to analyze samples on the spot? Why do they want to send samples back?
I suspect a full-scale lab is a little more capable than a pocket lab bolted on a rover
I think a real key will be getting geologists on the ground there. The productivity comparison is something crazy, like, an astronaut could do a few years of rover work in a week.
Wow, a bigger gap than I would have guessed.