Photo showing multiple vials of Martian samples left on the planet's surface.
A photo montage showing sample tubes shortly after they were deposited onto the surface by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. Credit: NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MSSS

NASA’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission has run aground, wrecked by a $10 billion price estimate, a 16 year timeline and excessive mission and programmatic risk. If the mission is to proceed, a much simpler and cheaper approach must be found.

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