Episode 553: Bringing Mars To Earth. The Plans For a Mars Sample Return Mission

One of the great accomplishments of the Apollo missions was to bring home hundreds of kilograms of lunar rock. Suddenly, geologists had a lifetime’s worth of lunar samples captured from several different spots across the Moon. These rocks and dust have been under continuous analysis since the Apollo 11 astronauts came home over 50 years ago. And they’re still making discoveries. Scientists have samples of the Sun’s solar wind, particles from a comet’s tail, a few grams from an asteroid, with more coming shortly. But there’s one world, the focus of so much scientific study, which has never had a sample returned: Mars. NASA and the European Space Agency have been making plans to bring a sample home from Mars for decades, and now, missions could fly in the next few years, finally bringing a chunk of the Red Planet home to Earth for us to study directly. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: http://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: http://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com References: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/mission/quick-facts/#targetText=MISSION&targetText=Total%20distance%20traveled%3A%20At%20Cassini's,trajectory%20from%20Earth%20to%20Saturn. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/luna-16/in-depth/ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/genesis/ https://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/hayabusa/in-depth/ https://mepag.jpl.nasa.gov/reports/E2E-iSAGFINALREPORT.pdf https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/metsoc2001/pdf/5452.pdf https://sites.nationalacademies.org/cs/groups/ssbsite/documents/webpage/ssb059308.pdf https://www.esa.int/OurActivities/HumanandRoboticExploration/Exploration/ExoMars/EuropetoMarsandback https://www.esa.int/OurActivities/HumanandRoboticExploration/Exploration/ExoMars/EuropetoMarsandback https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/ninthmars2019/pdf/6369.pdf https://www.esa.int/OurActivities/HumanandRoboticExploration/Exploration/ExoMars/EuropetoMarsand_back