PASADENA, Calif. — NASA has started work to revise its approach to returning samples from Mars after an independent review concluded the current Mars Sample Return (MSR) architecture has an “unrealistic” budget and schedule.
Sandra Connelly, NASA deputy associate administrator for science, said at an Oct. 20 meeting of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG), an advisory committee, that the agency has convened a team to address the recommendations made by an independent review board (IRB) in September.
That independent review found a “near zero” probability that the next major elements of MSR, a sample retrieval lander and Earth return orbiter, would be ready for launch as currently planned in 2027 and 2028. It also estimated MSR costs to be in the range of $8 billion to $11 billion, far higher than previous NASA projections.
“We want to make sure that we’re taking into consideration the findings and recommendations so that we can structure this program to be successful and do so within a balanced budget,” Connelly said.
She is leading a group called the MSR IRB Response Team, or MIRT, that will develop a revised Mars Sample Return architecture. That team, which held a kickoff meeting Oct. 19, includes five subcommittees focused on various technical, science, programmatic and budgetary issues associated with the program.
The MIRT will complete its work by the end of March, she said, offering a revised architecture for MSR. Some of that work started even before the team’s kickoff: Jeff Gramling, MSR director at NASA Headquarters, said one group has been reviewing architectures for the last three to four weeks.
The plan he outlined called for selecting two or three alternative architectures this fall for further study, which may include independent cost estimates. One the agency selects a new architecture, he said the goal is to get through a confirmation review by late 2024 where NASA makes formal cost and…
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