Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Group Plans to Bring Martian Sample to Earth

Posted by samzenpus on from the plot-to-a-made-for-tv-movie dept.

sm62704 (mcgrew) writes "New Scientist has a story about IMARS (the International Mars Architecture for Return Samples) planning to bring samples of Martian soil to earth. The robotic mission would be a needed precursor to manned trips to the red planet. Also, international cooperation is necessary since the US has already nixed bankrolling manned Mars missions."

3 of 84 comments (clear)

  1. It's Robotic! by FroBugg · · Score: 4, Informative

    Also, international cooperation is necessary since the US has already nixed bankrolling manned Mars missions.


    This is a robotic mission, so would be perfectly fine under the NASA funding rules. If you're pissed about the rule, go complain in the thread we already had about it. Don't inject it into stories where it has no real bearing.

    The actual article itself contains this completely different and more appropriate explanation for the need for international efforts:

    International cooperation in the project is important because it is likely to carry a global-size price tag. NASA previously backed away from its own plans for a sample return mission due to budget overruns in the space shuttle programme.

    "It's not an inexpensive proposition, and the ability to share the technical challenges and the costs across nations is very important for the success of this," says meeting attendee Lisa May, NASA's lead programme executive for Mars sample return missions.
  2. Send a Mars Rover and pieces to make a catapult by Thanshin · · Score: 4, Funny

    With about 0.35g, they may just send a Mars Rover with a mechanical arm and also send pieces to build a catapult. In six months or so, the rover builds the catapult and uses it to throw a piece of ground back.

    The only problem could be the rover exceeding his expected lifetime thirteen times and burying us in Mars pieces.

  3. Re:Why? by FroBugg · · Score: 4, Informative

    The Viking missions sampled soil on-site with the tools that were built into the landers. This mission is planning to bring samples to Earth, where we can perform much more detailed analysis with tools that cannot easily be sent to another planet and operated remotely.