Unexpected Success... Significant Changes in Hwaseong Sample Collection [Reading Science]

US NASA-European Space Agency Confirm Concept Design
Existing Rover Mainly Used - Two Helicopters as Support
No New Rover Deployment, Detailed Schedule Also Confirmed

Mars sample collection conceptual image. Source=NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The United States has decided to significantly revise its method for retrieving sample specimens collected from Mars. The Perseverance rover will serve as the primary transport vehicle, while the proven helicopter method will be used as a supplementary means.

On the 27th (local time), NASA announced that it recently concluded a concept design review of the Mars sample retrieval program in consultation with the European Space Agency (ESA). According to this, NASA decided to substantially change the previously considered retrieval method, taking into account the expected operational lifespan of the Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars in February last year and is currently collecting rock, atmospheric, and soil samples. In other words, considering that Perseverance might still be operational at the time of sample retrieval, it will be used as the main means of transporting samples to the lander. Previously, the plan was for Perseverance to collect samples, analyze their composition, transmit the results, seal them, and then drop them onto the Martian surface, after which a collection rover would locate them, load them onto an ascent vehicle, and send them to a return orbiter waiting in Mars orbit. Accordingly, NASA will no longer build a sample retrieval rover or another lander to transport it for the upcoming Mars sample retrieval program.

Additionally, two helicopters will be loaded onto the lander as auxiliary means for sample retrieval. This change in plan reflects the remarkable performance of the 'Ingenuity' helicopter, which landed on Mars alongside the Perseverance rover in February last year and has successfully completed a total of 29 flights, far exceeding its expected lifespan. Ingenuity's success has demonstrated that flight-based mobility is feasible on extraterrestrial planets with thin atmospheres like Mars.

A specific schedule has also been set. The return orbiter to be built by ESA and the lander, which includes the sample retrieval helicopters and ascent vehicle to be built by NASA, are scheduled to launch in the fall of 2027 and summer of 2028, respectively. The arrival of the Mars samples on Earth is expected in 2033. NASA and ESA plan to conduct a preliminary design phase for about one year starting in October, based on the finalized concept design. During this period, all necessary technology developments for sample retrieval will be completed, and prototypes will be produced. This plan change was already communicated to participating countries in the European space exploration program last May, and a final decision on whether to discontinue the development of the sample retrieval rover will be made in September.

Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA Deputy Administrator, stated, "The concept design, which involved scrutinizing every element of the mission plan as if under a microscope, has been completed," adding, "There have been several important and beneficial changes."

Meanwhile, Perseverance, which landed in the Jezero Crater on Mars on February 18 last year, has collected 11 rock and atmospheric samples so far. It carries a total of 43 sample storage containers. The mission aims to investigate the formation and composition of Mars, as well as to search for evidence of water and life. The United States initially planned to retrieve the samples by 2031 with a budget of about 5 billion dollars, but the schedule has been delayed due to budget shortages and other reasons.

There is also a competition with China for Mars sample retrieval. China plans to retrieve samples collected by its rover 'Zhurong,' which landed on Mars in May last year, by 2031?two years ahead of the U.S. China has already succeeded in lunar sample retrieval through the Chang'e 5 mission in 2020 and recently announced some analysis results. If China wins the Mars sample retrieval competition against the space superpower United States, it is expected to be regarded as a symbol of its 'space rise.'