NASA admitted Monday that their teams are incapable of bringing rock and soil samples from Mars back to Earth, so they’re asking for some fresh ideas.
A review board said in 2023 that NASA’s Mars sample return mission could possibly cost around $11 billion, which is “too expensive,” according to a statement published by the agency. The agency is now “seeking innovative designs” to help get these samples back from Mars to help us understand how to better explore our cosmos.
“Mars Sample Return will be one of the most complex missions NASA has ever undertaken. The bottom line is, an $11 billion budget is too expensive, and a 2040 return date is too far away,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in the statement. “Safely landing and collecting the samples, launching a rocket with the samples off another planet – which has never been done before – and safely transporting the samples more than 33 million miles back to Earth is no small task. We need to look outside the box to find a way ahead that is both affordable and returns samples in a reasonable timeframe.”
Video Describes How NASA Digitally Altered Images Of Mars Before Releasing Them To The Public | @DailyCaller
Another mind blowing video from @OMGTheWhyFiles on how NASA literally alters images before they release them https://t.co/QR48FS37kc
— KAY SMYTHE (@KaySmythe) May 3, 2023
An independent review board found means of cutting the potential budget from $11 billion to $8 billion. But still, the agency wants an even lower cost and an earlier return date than 2040.
NASA’s Perseverance rover has already collected more than 20 samples from Mars’ Jezero Crater since 2020, according to Nature. With scientists hypothesizing that the crater was once filled with water, so understanding this process could prove essential to humanity’s survival on Earth. (RELATED: Dear Kay: I Watched ‘Ancient Apocalypse’ And Now I’m Scared We’re Going To Die Before 2025)
The agency is asking scientists, private companies, and just about anyone to send in proposals on the best means of mitigating their low-budget, time-sensitivity problem in bringing these and other data back to us on Earth.
‘Minimoons’ May Help Us Become An Interplanetary Species, Scientists Claim https://t.co/ztBH7a2cbg
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 20, 2024
It is so strange that NASA can’t get funding for this monumentally scientifically important problem while our federal government is fine with sending $24 billion of your money to random people in California to not fix the homeless crisis. (RELATED: A Mars Colony Needs Just 22 People, Study Claims. Do You Have The Right Personality?)
Clearly the fiscal priorities of this administration are settled. It’s more important to enrich Californians who let mentally ill people die on the streets than it is to explore a planet that could save our species. Can someone please make this make sense?