NASA and ESA are now able to bring soil samples from Mars to Earth in order to have them examined more closely. That is the conclusion of an independent commission of inquiry on the “Mars Sample Return” mission, which, among other things, recommends continuing the preparation.

At the same time, the auditors have made a lot of suggestions to address potential problems preventively. The US space agency feels just as confirmed by the report as it is with its European counterpart. ESA is a partner of the ambitious mission and welcomes the result of the review.

A complicated, multi-stage undertaking The Mars Sample Return mission is based on several spacecraft, NASA explains once more. With the Mars rover Perseverance, the first of these is already on the way to the Red Planet. After the beginning of his landing 2021 he is supposed to take soil and rock samples with a drill and pack them up in small containers the surface. With two more rocket launches 2026 their transport should be initiated. For this purpose, ESA will deliver the “Sample Fetch Rover”, which collects the samples and uses them to equip NASA’s “Mars Ascent Vehicle”. It should then be the first spacecraft to leave Mars and bring the samples to ESA’s “Earth Return Orbiter”, which will wait in orbit and bring the samples to Earth.

The review of the extremely ambitious project that has now been presented took place earlier in the course of development than in any such mission before, explains NASA. Normally such checks would not be carried out until much later. Among other things, one wants to guarantee a success of the mission, which is one of the most important of the US space agency and should not only help to answer important questions about the history of Mars, but also to prepare manned missions to the red planet. The main recommendations of the report now mainly concern differences in management and organization between NASA and ESA, which must not cause problems.

“Great news” The result is great news for the campaign, says David Parker, ESA Director for Robotic and Astronautical Exploration: “It reinforces our shared vision of bringing scientists to pristine pieces of the Red Planet That they can study with laboratory equipment and techniques that we could never take to Mars. ” NASA chief Jim Bridenstine says the mission must be carried out by his space agency as a leading member of the global community. You know about the challenges and therefore look particularly closely at this architecture: “And that is the reason why we ultimately achieve great things.”

NASA rover Curiosity on Mars (25 images) Curiositys View of your own tracks in the Martian sand

(Fig : NASA / JPL-Caltech) (mho)