Despite the fact that NASA has been criticized for its plans to take rocks from Mars, it appears that they aren't giving up. The agency has launched a new rover called iMOST, which will be carrying out a series of measurements of the Martian surface. And the agency is preparing for another mission to sample a nearby asteroid.
Perseverance rover
Earlier this week, NASA's Mars rover, called Perseverance, made a remarkable discovery on the red planet's surface. The rover grabbed a rock-sized piece of blackboard chalk. And while the rock itself may not be anything spectacular, scientists say it may contain some clues about the history of Mars.
The rock, dubbed Ch'al by NASA, is found in the Santa Cruz area of the crater. The area was once a body of water, and scientists believe it may have contained living microbes. The rover will likely collect more samples from the crater.
As part of its mission, Perseverance will collect a series of rock samples, store them in tubes, and send them back to Earth. Scientists hope the samples will provide some insight into the history of Mars and help them predict the future of our planet.
Perseverance's mission will also include testing technologies that may be useful for future Mars missions. One goal is to find a way to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. Another goal is to characterize the environmental conditions of Mars. And there's a third, more specific goal: to identify subsurface water.
The mission will also test methods for finding water below the surface. It will also gather samples on the Martian surface, and store them in tubes. These tubes will then be sent to an orbiter, and the samples will be relayed to Earth for further analysis.
According to NASA, the mission will be able to collect up to 43 samples. These samples will be stored in hermetically sealed tubes. Some of the samples will be compacted, and others will be kept on board the rover for future testing.
Psyche
Psyche is a huge, metal-rich asteroid in the main asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter. It is a fascinating object that offers scientists a unique view of the violent collisions that formed the solar system.
Scientists think the asteroid could contain gold, platinum, and other rare metals. They also speculate that it could be the core of a planet that formed in the early days of the solar system.
The Psyche mission will spend 21 months on Psyche, investigating its surface and gathering information about its properties. Scientists hope that the information they gather will help them understand the planet's formation.
The Psyche mission will be a part of NASA's Discovery Program, a line of low-cost robotic space missions. Each of these missions is led by a single principal investigator.
Scientists hope that the data they gather will help them understand the properties of the asteroid Psyche, including its topography, the distribution of elements, and its age. It could also help scientists understand the origin of planets.
Researchers believe that the asteroid may have started out as a planet, but was then stripped of its rocky outer layers by violent collisions. The surface of Psyche may be like that of Earth, with lighter materials rising to the surface and heavier materials sinking to the core.
The Psyche mission is being led by Arizona State University. Its main objectives are to understand how planets formed, explore new worlds, and determine the asteroid's properties.
NASA's Psyche Discovery Mission is slated to launch in the summer of 2022. Originally, the mission was set to start in 2023. However, a number of challenges have delayed the mission. Some of these issues include late delivery of the spacecraft's flight software and testing equipment.
Jezero crater
Getting samples from the surface of Mars is a mind-bending complicated mission, but NASA plans to make it happen. The agency has a $4 billion plan to bring back samples from the red planet. And it could happen as soon as 2021.
Samples of Martian rock will help scientists to understand the planet's history and its habitability. Samples can also help scientists to determine whether Mars had life in the past. Bringing samples back from the red planet will allow NASA to better prepare for future human explorations.
Samples of Martian rock will also help scientists understand the evolution of the planet's surface. Samples of rock will provide scientists with a second set of absolute ages for the planetary surface. The ages will also help scientists to confirm lunar crater-age scales throughout the Solar System.
Scientists have been waiting for their chance to get their hands on sedimentary stones for decades. Now, they're about to get their hands on samples of rock from Jezero Crater. These samples will help scientists reconstruct the entire martian sedimentary system.
Samples of rock from Jezero Crater will not only help scientists understand the history of the planet's surface, but they will also help scientists to prepare for future human explorations. NASA's next rover will land in the crater in February 2021. And once the rover arrives, it will begin collecting samples of Martian rock. It will then cache the samples in safe landing sites.
NASA's Perseverance rover will also be collecting samples of Martian rock. The rover has already gathered nine samples of Martian rock. The rover will be collecting more samples in the coming months.
The samples of Martian rock collected by Perseverance will be returned to Earth. Eventually, the samples will be used to understand the geological and biological potential of the sedimentary system.
JAXA's second asteroid-sampling mission
JAXA's second asteroid-sampling mission, Hayabusa2, has successfully returned a 16 kg capsule from a near-Earth asteroid. The capsule, which was launched on December 3, 2014, will be brought to Japan for study. The capsule contains carbonaceous material, which may help explain how the Earth formed and how life arose. This material could give valuable insights into the early evolution of the planets.
Asteroid-sampling missions are an important part of the space program's mission to learn more about the formation of our solar system. In the future, JAXA will also attempt to collect dust from Phobos, the largest moon on Mars.
Hayabusa2 launched in December 2014 and spent 18 months orbiting the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu. After a successful rendezvous, Hayabusa2 landed on the surface of Ryugu in June 2018. The spacecraft collected rocks and rocks fragments from the asteroid. It also fired a copper "bullet" into the asteroid's surface. This created an artificial crater, which Hayabusa2 then blasted into.
After arriving on the surface of Ryugu, Hayabusa2 released two small rovers to collect rocks from the asteroid's surface. The spacecraft then fired a copper "bullet" into Ryugu's surface. This created an artificial cleft, which Hayabusa2 then slammed into. This was done so the spacecraft could collect 100 milligrams of carbon-rich soil and rock fragments.
The capsule will be studied by scientists in Japan and Australia. The mission will return the sample to Earth at the end of 2020. The capsule is also expected to contain flecks of the asteroid itself. This material is thought to contain organics, which are essential elements for life on Earth. However, the presence of organics does not necessarily mean that life exists on the asteroid.
iMOST
Getting a sample of a red planet's dust is no small feat. It has more gravity than the Moon, making it harder to leave the surface.
The European Space Agency plans to launch a rover to collect samples. NASA's Mars Exploration Program has focused on launching multi-billion dollar rovers every six years.
It's hard to know which to credit for the feat of sending the first sample to Mars in the near future. A team of engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory studied the best way to get samples back to Earth.
One of the most impressive technologies involved in getting a sample of Martian dust is the use of an ultraclean metal tube to seal the dust in. The container is no small feat, weighing in at around 2,260 pounds (1,000 kilograms). The mission may have to be a bit more complicated for the real deal. The team is also considering sending the samples via a more conventional means.
The Perseverance mission will be the first sample-taking mission for NASA's next-generation rover. It will be the heaviest vehicle to ever set foot on Mars' surface. The mission will rely on the Sample Caching System (SCS) to deliver samples. It will take a roundabout route to Mars, arriving in the early part of the Martian spring. The team hopes to send a solar-powered fetch rover out of the lander to collect samples from the surface.
The Perseverance mission is expected to deliver the first Mars samples in the next few years. The mission is a joint effort between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Hopefully, a successful mission will lead to the first humans visiting Mars in the near future.