mars
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Layoffs Loom at NASA After Termination of Over 100 Contractors Amid Mars Budget Constraints
NASA is scaling back on its ambitious Mars Sample Return (MSR) program, fearing federal budget cuts to the space agency’s plan to bring back rock and dust from the Red Planet, which has come under heavy scrutiny for having unrealistic costs and timelines. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) reportedly laid off 100 contractors last week…
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The Most Mind-Blowing Images Ever Taken of Earth from Space
We’ve been capturing space-based images of Earth for nearly three-quarters of a century, but these eight views of Earth are each profound in their own way. Images of Earth from space are now so commonplace that it’s hard to fathom the pre-spaceflight era—a time when people were forced to use their imaginations instead. The first…
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NASA to Rewrite Mars Sample Return Mission So It Can Actually Happen
NASA is considering alternative ways to bring back samples from Mars after its budget and schedule for the sample return mission was deemed unrealistic in a recent report by an independent review board. During a meeting of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group held earlier this week, NASA announced the formation of a response team…
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NASA’s Plan to Return Samples From Mars Is Pure Science Fiction, Report Finds
The findings from an independent review board suggest that NASA’s quest to return samples from Mars is riddled with challenges and seemingly impossible to accomplish under the current cost and schedule expectations. NASA released the final report on Thursday and announced that it has set up its own team to review the Mars Sample Return…