Mars rock samples may contain evidence of alien life

Can NASA's troubled Mars Sample Return mission be saved?
NASA wants to return Mars samples to Earth, but budget problems and technical woes have the mission caught between a rock and the Red Planet.
NASA collected Mars rocks to haul to Earth. It still hasn’t decided how.
The Mars Sample Return mission has been ranked as the highest priority by planetary scientists, who hope to find signs of ancient life on Mars.
Mars rock samples may contain evidence of alien life, but can NASA get them back to Earth?
NASA will explore two different strategies for fetching Mars rocks collected by the Perseverance rover, and there's a chance these samples contain evidence of alien life.
NASA won't decide on overhaul for Mars Sample Return mission until mid-2026
NASA recently deemed this situation unacceptable. In April 2024, agency chief Bill Nelson announced that an overhaul of the MSR strategy is in the works, saying that NASA will seek innovative new ideas from its research centers, private industry and academia.
Rocket Lab Takes Jab at NASA With Release of Mars Sample Return Plan
After the space agency punts a decision on the mission’s profile to 2026, Rocket Lab unveils its own Mars Sample Return plan.
NASA’s Mars Sample Return Program Faces Stark Choices
NASA sees two paths for saving its beleaguered plan to retrieve materials from the Red Planet but won’t choose between them until 2026
NASA scrapped its $11 billion scheme to grab Mars rocks that may point to alien life. Now it has a faster, cheaper plan.
NASA's mission to return samples from Mars and potentially discover the first signs of alien life has a new timeline. The samples may arrive sooner.
NASA collected potential evidence of life on Mars. Now it’s pitching new plans to retrieve the cache
NASA has arrived at two ways of returning samples collected on Mars to Earth. Now, the agency will test the options to see if the cache can make it back in the 2030s.
NASA will decide how to bring soil samples back from Mars in 2026
NASA will analyze and explore two different landing options for its Mars Sample Return program, though it will take almost two years to do so and is expected to announce its decision in late 2026. The agency had to temporarily hit pause on the program after an independent review found that it could cost between $8 billion and $11 billion,
NASA overhauls plan to bring samples from Mars back to Earth
NASA said in its announcement it is changing the plan for the spacecraft that will land on Mars to retrieve the samples and exploring two new, different options. One of the option
NASA Is One Step Closer to Bringing Mars Samples to Earth
The agency is starting down two different paths toward the samples' return, but only one will bring the red rocks home.
How to Watch the Mars Occultation During January's Supermoon
The moon will occult Mars in a rare astronomical event on Jan. 13, coinciding with the month's full Wolf Moon that peaks on ...
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NASA's bold mission: Retrieving Mars rocks by 2033
NASA has announced potential plans to recover rock samples from Mars. Scientists will investigate whether there is ...
NASA exploring 2 options to lower costs, speed up Mars Sample Return mission
NASA hopes a revised plan will get Mars samples back to Earth faster and cost less than the agency's original plan.
NASA exploring two lower-cost options to go forward with Mars Sample Return mission
NASA announced Tuesday that it is exploring two options to move forward with its mission to return samples from Mars at a ...
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Space lettuce: NASA's plans to grow nutritious plants on Mars
NASA explores growing plants in space to ensure fresh, nutritious food for astronauts. Microgravity affects plant genetics ...
China’s Mars mission leaves US for space dust with Nasa at least 4 years behind
Samples collected by Perseverance rover not expected until at least 2035, four years behind Tianwen-3’s ‘grab-and-go’ ...