Nasa: ‘New plan needed to return rocks from Mars’

Nasa has announced that a new plan is needed to return rocks from Mars for further study. The current plan involves the Mars 2020 rover collecting samples and leaving them on the surface of the planet for a future mission to retrieve. However, Nasa has encountered challenges with this approach and is now reevaluating their strategy.

One of the main issues with the current plan is the complexity and cost of a future mission to retrieve the samples. Nasa is now considering alternative options, such as using a robotic arm on the Mars 2020 rover to collect and store samples for later retrieval. This would eliminate the need for a separate mission to return the rocks to Earth.

Despite the challenges, Nasa remains committed to the goal of bringing Mars rocks back to Earth for analysis. Scientists believe that studying these samples could provide valuable insights into the planet’s history and potential for supporting life.