NASA Releases Independent Review's Mars Sample Return Report

NASA has released the findings of an independent review board evaluating the Mars Sample Return mission, a complex effort to bring samples from Mars back to Earth. The board was established in May 2023 to assess the mission’s technical, cost, and schedule plans before finalizing its design. The review highlighted the scientific importance of the mission but raised concerns about its budget and other aspects.

The Mars Sample Return mission, a collaboration with the European Space Agency, aims to collect the first samples from Mars and return them to Earth. It would also involve the first launch from another planet and the first in-orbit rendezvous at another planet. The review board provided 20 findings and 59 recommendations following a two-month evaluation. The board emphasized the mission’s complexity, which involves multiple parallel developments and interfaces.

In response to the report, NASA has formed a team led by Sandra Connelly, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for science, to review the findings and determine a path forward. The team will make recommendations by the second quarter of fiscal year 2024, and NASA has delayed confirming the official mission cost and schedule until after the review is complete. Connelly stated that the review helps ensure the mission stays on track within budget and meets its goals.

The Mars Sample Return campaign is a top priority for NASA, as outlined in recent decadal surveys by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Returning samples to Earth would allow scientists to study them using advanced instruments, significantly advancing our understanding of Mars. The full report from the Independent Review Board is available online for public review.