NASA and the European space agency ESA have planned a path to bring samples of Mars back to Earth.
The two agencies have agreed how the first samples from Mars’ Jezero Crater will be returned to Earth, with treasures extracted by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover since it landed in February 2021.
The samples will be brought back to Earth in the Mars Sample Return campaign sometime in the next decade, most likely in 2033.
ESA and NASA will establish a tube sample repository on Mars in the “Three Forks” area near the base of the crater’s river delta.
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In September, Perseverance obtained samples of sedimentary rock from the bed of the ancient river that once flowed. NASA is searching for evidence of former microbial life that could have existed 3.5 billion years ago. Previously, it had also acquired igneous rocks formed by magma or volcanic activity.
This cache will contain samples that can help scientists explain the history of the Jezero crater and how Mars evolved. If they’re lucky, it could also provide evidence of signs of ancient life.
“Scientists believe that core samples from the fine-grained sedimentary rocks of the delta – deposited in a lake billions of years ago – are more likely to contain indicators of whether microbial life existed when the Martian climate was very different from where it is today”. NASA said.
The ongoing testing aims to ensure that the test tubes are robust enough to handle accidental drops and robotic handling. NASA JPL engineers are testing what is the optimal crumple material for crashing a vehicle back to Earth in a way that protects the payload.
“Never before has a scientifically curated collection of samples been collected from another planet and placed for return to Earth,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA science associate.
“NASA and ESA have been reviewing the proposed site and the Martian samples that will be developed for this cache as soon as next month. When this first tube is placed on the surface, it will be a historic moment in space exploration.”
No specific date has yet been set for the return, but it should be in 2033 according to the outcome of a meeting between ESA, NASA and an independent board in July. The rover has collected 14 core samples of Martian rock and air. Perseverance will drop 10 sample tubes at Three Forks, according to ESA.
ESA is providing the expedition with a 2.5-meter-long robotic sample transfer arm that will pick up the tubes and transfer them to a rocket that will be launched into Mars orbit. There are also two spare helicopters available in case Perseverance cannot reach ESA’s robotic arm in 2030.
