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NASA says it needs better ideas on how to return samples from Mars

✇Science – Ars Technica
By: Stephen Clark
16 April 2024 at 13:53
NASA's existing plan for Mars Sample Return involves a large lander the size of a two-car garage, two helicopters, a two-stage bespoke rocket, a European-built Earth return vehicle, and the Perseverance rover already operating on the red planet.

Enlarge / NASA's existing plan for Mars Sample Return involves a large lander the size of a two-car garage, two helicopters, a two-stage bespoke rocket, a European-built Earth return vehicle, and the Perseverance rover already operating on the red planet. (credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

NASA's $11 billion plan to robotically bring rock samples from Mars back to Earth is too expensive and will take too long, the agency's administrator said Monday, so officials are tasking government and private sector engineers to come up with a better plan.

The agency's decision on how to move forward with the Mars Sample Return (MSR) program follows an independent review last year that found ballooning costs and delays threatened the mission's viability. The effort would likely cost NASA between $8 billion and $11 billion, and the launch would be delayed at least two years until 2030, with samples getting back to Earth a few years later, the review board concluded.

But that's not the whole story. Like all federal agencies, NASA faces new spending restrictions imposed by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, a bipartisan budget deal struck last year between the White House and congressional Republicans. With these new budget headwinds, NASA officials determined the agency's plan for Mars Sample Return would not get specimens from the red planet back to Earth until 2040.

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Mars may not have had liquid water long enough for life to form

✇Science – Ars Technica
By: Elizabeth Rayne
4 April 2024 at 19:39
Image of a grey-colored slope with channels cut into it.

Enlarge (credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona)

Mars has a history of liquid water on its surface, including lakes like the one that used to occupy Jezero Crater, which have long since dried up. Ancient water that carried debris—and melted water ice that presently does the same—were also thought to be the only thing driving the formation of gullies spread throughout the Martian landscape. That view may now change thanks to new results that suggest dry ice can also shape the landscape.

It’s sublime

Previously, scientists were convinced that only liquid water shaped gullies on Mars because that’s what happens on Earth. What was not taken into account was sublimation, or the direct transition of a substance from a solid to a gaseous state. Sublimation is how CO2 ice disappears (sometimes water ice experiences this, too).

Frozen carbon dioxide is everywhere on Mars, including in its gullies. When CO2 ice sublimates on one of these gullies, the resulting gas can push debris further down the slope and continue to shape it.

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The Martian Codex: Elias's Quest Through Time

✇Anime Short Story
By: Unknown
20 March 2024 at 10:35

Anime-style graphic capturing Elias and his companions at the pivotal moment of discovering the Chronosphere within the Valles Archive on Mars. Their united quest for truth against the backdrop of Martian history and the ruins symbolizes their journey through time and the uncovering of secrets that have shaped Martian society.


 In the year 2245, the Earth was a memory held in the digital archives of the Great Library of Mars, humanity's new cradle in the cosmos. Among the red sands and towering domes of this new world, a young historian named Elias uncovered a mystery that could unravel the very fabric of Martian society. This is the tale of "The Martian Codex: Elias's Quest Through Time."

Elias, a curator at the Great Library, had dedicated his life to preserving the history of Earth and the early days of Martian colonization. His world turned upside down when he stumbled upon an ancient codex, encrypted with a language and technology long thought lost. The codex hinted at the existence of a device, the Chronosphere, capable of viewing the past to uncover the truths hidden by time.

Driven by a thirst for knowledge and the shadows of conspiracy looming over his discovery, Elias embarked on a journey to find the Chronosphere. His quest led him to the underbelly of Martian society, where he allied with a band of outcasts: Nova, a rogue engineer with a penchant for old Earth tech; Kael, a former soldier turned mercenary, seeking redemption; and Lyra, a mystic who believed the Chronosphere was key to foreseeing Mars' perilous future.

Together, they traversed the Martian wastelands, from the bustling metropolis of New Olympus to the ghostly ruins of the First Settlements, uncovering clues that led them deeper into the heart of a conspiracy that threatened the stability of the new world. The ruling Council of Mars, fearing the Chronosphere would expose secrets that could ignite civil unrest, deployed their elite enforcers, the Red Guard, to stop Elias and his companions at any cost.

The climax of their adventure unfolded in the ancient Valles Archive, buried beneath the surface, where the Chronosphere was hidden. As they activated the device, visions of the past flooded their minds: the early days of struggle on Mars, the sacrifices made, and the untold stories of heroes and villains that shaped their society. But among these visions, they discovered a darker truth—the Council's origins were tied to a betrayal that had altered the course of Martian history.

Faced with the decision to reveal the truth or protect the fragile peace on Mars, Elias chose to broadcast their findings to the entire colony. The revelation sent shockwaves through Martian society, challenging its citizens to confront their past and decide the future they wished to build.

In the aftermath, Elias and his companions were hailed as heroes, visionaries who had unveiled the truth that had been buried by time. The Martian Codex became a symbol of their quest, a reminder that history, in all its forms, was the key to understanding not just where they came from, but where they were going.

"The Martian Codex: Elias's Quest Through Time" was celebrated as a turning point in Martian history, a story of courage, unity, and the unyielding pursuit of truth in the face of adversity. Elias's journey inspired a new generation of explorers, historians, and dreamers to look beyond the sands of Mars, to the stars, and back to Earth, ensuring that the memory of humanity's cradle would never be forgotten.

Final images of Ingenuity reveal an entire blade broke off the helicopter

✇Science – Ars Technica
By: Eric Berger
26 February 2024 at 14:33
An image of <em>Ingenuity</em> captured by <em>Perseverance</em>'s SuperCam RMI instrument.

Enlarge / An image of Ingenuity captured by Perseverance's SuperCam RMI instrument. (credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP/Simeon Schmauß)

It has now been several weeks since NASA's tenacious helicopter on Mars, Ingenuity, made its final flight above the red planet.

This happened last month. On January 6, Ingenuity flew 40 feet (12 meters) skyward but then made an unplanned early landing after just 35 seconds. Twelve days later, operators intended to troubleshoot the vehicle with a quick up-and-down test. Data from the vehicle indicated that it ascended to 40 feet again during this test, but then communications were ominously lost at the end of the flight.

On January 20, NASA reestablished communications with the helicopter, but the space agency declared an end to its flying days after an image of the vehicle's shadow showed that at least one of its blades had sustained minor damage. This capped an end to a remarkable mission during which Ingenuity exceeded all expectations.

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