NASA will inspire the world when it returns samples of Mars to Earth in 2033
This illustration shows the concept of several robots working together to transport rock and soil samples to Earth collected from the surface of Mars by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech NASA has completed a system requirements review for the Mars Sample Return Program, which is close to completing the conceptual design phase. During this phase, the program team has evaluated and refined the architecture to return scientifically selected samples, which are currently in the process of being collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover in the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater. The architecture for the campaign, which includes contributions from the European Space Agency (ESA), is expected to reduce the complexity of future missions and increase the likelihood of success. “The conceptual design phase is when every aspect of the mission plan is put under the microscope,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA H