It's something that has plagued NASA for generations: How do you get rocks from Mars back to Earth, where direct studies by scientists in wet labs can deliver better, faster results than any remote work performed by robots on the Red Planet?
Importing interplanetary material in this way isn't as easy as it may seem. For proof, look no further than NASA's Mars Sample Return program, which after decades of preliminary study and years of prep work is now in the midst of a high-stakes "replan" due to ballooning cost estimates and technical delays. Meanwhile, most of the "samples" in question are already awaiting pickup on Mars, having been gathered across the past four years by the space agency's Perseverance rover.
Our top story covers a just-announced fateful choice for the program, albeit one that's not set to be made until 2026: Will NASA grab these samples primarily using tried-and-true technology and "in-house" expertise, or will it seek to outsource the heavy-lifting to commercial aerospace companies? The decision between these two options is no small matter—billions of dollars and untold potentials for epochal discoveries are on the line, and the choice could even shape how and when humans first visit Mars. —Lee Billings
