In just over a decade, a small capsule shaped like a flying saucer will blaze in from space and smash into an empty Utah desert. Inside the capsule, protected by shock absorbers, will be a precious payload: about half a kilogram of rocks gathered on Mars. After years as a dream, Mars sample return (MSR) is now a $7 billion plan, devised jointly by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
Approval for ESA's initial contribution is expected next week, when ministers from ESA's 22 member nations gather in Seville, Spain, to approve the agency's budget for the next 3 years. David Parker, ESA's director of human and robotic exploration in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, says the total ESA contribution will be roughly €1.5 billion over 10 years, "which should be affordable to member states.
Not to change the topic here:
Incredible Parallels of Apollo 12 and Mars 2020 Missions
(Left) Apollo 12 astronaut Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr. stands beside NASA’s Surveyor 3 spacecraft; the lunar module Intrepid can be seen in the distance. Apollo 12 landed on the Moon’s Ocean of Storms on Nov. 20, 1969. (Right) Mars 2020 rover, seen here in an artist’s concept, will make history’s most accurate landing on a planetary body when it lands at Mars’ Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
“We on the Mars 2020 project feel a special kinship with the crew of Apollo 12,” said John McNamee, Mars 2020 project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. “They achieved the first precision landing, deployed the most advanced suite of science instruments of the time, and were the first to interact with another spacecraft that put down on another world. That’s all part of the Mars 2020 playbook as well.”
NASA's InSight lander heat probe resumes working on Mars - Xinhua | English.news.cn
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- NASA's InSight lander has resumed its heat flow probe digging on Mars again after months of efforts, the mission team said on Twitter.
The heat probe, also known as the "mole," was designed to dig below the Martian surface and measure the heat coming from inside the Red Planet. However, the mole has not been able to dig deeper than about 30 cm below the Martian surface since Feb. 28, 2019.
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Using InSight's robotic arm to put pressure on the mole from the side has helped it move down about 32 millimeters, said the team.
Sols 2594-2596: Heading West and Settling in for Thanksgiving – NASA's Mars Exploration Program
Mid-drive image showing the sand patch “Stemster” behind the rubbly workspace that we ended up in for today’s plan. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
We are putting Central Butte behind us now, as we journey onwards to Western Butte, a nearby hill that appears to be similar to Central Butte. At Central Butte, we were spoiled for choice, with lots of rocky outcrops to investigate. Yesterday’s drive brought us to the type of workspace we have seen previously in Glen Torridon – lots and lots of small pebbles and sand.
Other things to check out:
NASA Mars Alien News: No, There Are No Insects On Mars
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently responded to the poster presentation of a professor from Ohio University claiming that there are insects on Mars and they are not aliens.
The doctor utilized photographs made from previous Martian missions for his study and concluded that rocky outlines in the images had a structure highly similar to the physical structure of earthbound insects, bees in particular.
The Ohio University issued a press release detailing Dr. Romoser's presentation on their website, which has alarmed the scientific community since it led credibility to what many are calling a dubious claim.
Mars map given to Challenger Learning Center | Local News | niagara-gazette.com
Area students will soon get a more in-depth look at Mars, thanks to a donation from the Aldrin Family Foundation to the Challenger Learning Center of Lockport.
CLC Lockport was one of four centers across the country to receive a $5,000 educational package of Mars or the Moon from the foundation. The package includes a 15-foot by 15-foot map, four Welcome to Mars books, the Mars Map Curriculum package developed in collaboration with Purdue University, and access to in-person and online program training from the ShareSpace Foundation, a nonprofit founded by pioneering astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
Off-Earth Manufacturing Could Help Astronauts Explore the Moon and Mars | Space
WASHINGTON – Made In Space's new satellite-construction robot could herald a new generation of autonomous machines working on the moon — and perhaps even Mars.
At the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) here on Oct. 25, representatives from NASA and the California-based company Made In Space talked about the forthcoming opportunities for in-space manufacturing, which they say will reduce the costs and complications of shipping stuff around the solar system.
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