Mars, NASA and Earth

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 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.
Proof of Life on Mars? NASA Plans to Return Tantalizing Rover Samples to Earth by 2035
NASA says it has a dual approach plan to bring home potential proof of life on Mars by 2035 after updating its Mars Sample Return Mission.
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 defers decision on Mars Sample Return to the Trump administration
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson left a final decision on a new mission architecture to the next NASA administrator working under the incoming Trump administration. President-elect Donald Trump nominated entrepreneur and commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman as the agency's 15th administrator last month.
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.
NASA’s Answer to Mars Sample Return Problem: Develop Two Plans
The Perseverance rover has been collecting Martian rock samples since 2021, but NASA is still figuring out how to bring them back to Earth.
NASA won't decide on Mars Sample Return plan until mid-2026
NASA is considering two ways to get its precious Mars samples back to Earth but won't pick a winner for another 18 months or so.
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 Will Let Trump Decide How to Bring Mars Rocks to Earth
The Mars Sample Return effort was billions of dollars over budget and not expected to return to Earth with its samples until 2040.
NASA Proposes Cheaper, Quicker Way to Get Mars Rocks and Soil to Earth
NASA is pitching a cheaper and quicker way of getting rocks and soil back from Mars, after seeing its original plan swell to $11 billion.
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 ...
NASA’s plans to get Mars rocks delivered to the Utah desert are changing
Bringing Martian rock and soil samples to Earth is among the top priorities of planetary scientists. By studying fresh rocks ...
Mars Perseverance Rover's New 'Comet Geyser' Sample 'Great For Biosignature Studies'
NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars has collected its 24th sample of Jezero Crater. The 'Comet Geyser' sample is "great for ...
Perseverance's 2024 journey: From SHERLOC's revival to ancient rocks
Perseverance's past year operating on the surface of Mars was filled with some of the mission's highest highs, but also some ...
Space on MSN15h
Visit Jezero Crater On Mars In Flyover Created Using Orbiter Data
Jezero Crater is the home of NASA's Perseverance rover. See a bird's-eye view of the crater with this animated flyover ...