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The mass drawback
Within the authentic, ESA anticipated to ship a rover to Mars to fetch samples that had been cached by Perseverance, whereas NASA was to ship a Pattern Retrieval Lander (SRL) containing a 3 meter (10 foot) rocket — the Mars Ascent Car (MAV) — to launch samples as much as an ESA-built Earth Return Orbiter (ERO).
“The group had a mass problem with having each the launcher and a brand new Mars rover on the identical pallet, which was driving the design to 2 landings on Mars,” mentioned Planetary Society President Dr. Bethany Ehlmann, vice chair of the decadal survey Mars panel. The brand new mission design is extra streamlined, now requiring only one touchdown and no rover.
The brand new plan
The brand new mission structure seems to be considerably completely different. The up to date schedule sees the ERO launch in 2027 and NASA’s SRL comply with in 2028, with the samples returning to Earth in 2033. The SRL will be capable to use tried-and-tested touchdown know-how carried out flawlessly by each Curiosity and Perseverance. As for the MAV, it would carry an ESA-built Pattern Switch Arm (STA) to deal with the samples, in addition to the 2 new Ingenuity-class helicopters.
Plan A is for Perseverance, on an prolonged mission, to carry a full set of round 30 rock core samples to the SRL. These samples will then be grabbed by the STA and positioned within the MAV prepared for take-off.
The SRL will use precision touchdown know-how to get to about 50 meters (164 ft) of a spot both in Jezero Crater or exterior of it at a spot referred to as Halfway, which is the place Perseverance is finally headed if it stays wholesome.
“We have now confidence that we will rely on Perseverance to carry the samples again,” mentioned Jeff Gramling, Mars Pattern Return program director at NASA. NASA’s confidence comes not solely from Perseverance’s efficiency since its arrival two years in the past, however the current tenth anniversary of the same Curiosity rover, which continues to be going robust in Gale Crater.
“We’ve added the helicopters as a backup so within the occasion of a Perseverance failure we will nonetheless carry samples again,” Gramling mentioned.
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