Mars Sample Return Options

[Rakhir]

Next phase reached in definition of Mars Sample Return mission

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMJAGNFGLE_index_0.html

[Explorer1]

Looks like the current plan is for Perseverance to return to Jezero ~2028 and stay there with the samples while waiting for the MAV's landing.

[mcaplinger]

Looks like the current plan is for Perseverance to return to Jezero ~2028 and stay there with the samples while waiting for the MAV's landing.

That's what https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads...ated-signed.pdf says, yes. This document also establishes a performance floor of 18 samples, so they just can't return the Three Forks depot. Though they said this in a very wishy-washy fashion.

It's far from clear given the greater context, though, what the heck's going to happen. The industry solicitation ( https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewre...SMSR_Amend9.pdf ) is a weird move and only makes sense to me if somebody thinks that SpaceX can just rip up the current architecture entirely and do something based on Starship (which in the near term seems extremely unlikely to me.)

"A proposal may, but is not required to, propose to study a mission design that
incorporates elements of NASA’s MSR Program or NASA’s Artemis Program as
Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)" -- I presume saying anything about Artemis is an opening for SpaceX to propose something based on Starship HLS hardware, otherwise it's just a total non-sequitur.

Oh, and they decided that the SRL had to have an RTG on it for better MAV thermal control, claiming that the cost was about the same and ignoring the fact that there is a severe Pu238 shortage, etc.