NASA Is One Step Closer to Bringing Mars Samples to Earth

NASA kicked off the new year with a major announcement: It's officially tackling the issue of bringing Mars samples to Earth. Though the agency's Perseverance rover started collecting Martian regolith four years ago, the Mars Sample Return program's rising costs have made it difficult for officials to land on a specific transportation plan. Now, after investigating a handful of alternate return strategies, the agency has selected two to pursue this year. But only the winning strategy will bring the red rocks home.

In a media briefing on Tuesday, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Science Mission Directorate leader Nicky Fox explained that NASA's original sample return plan had been nixed the year prior. The initial plan would have involved a Mars lander to which Perseverance could have passed the baton, allowing a rocket within the lander to depart from Mars and hop on over to the Moon ...