NASA announced bad news about the plan to conquer Mars: Unfinished ambition?

NASA's ambition to conquer Mars was dealt a blow after admitting their plan was "unfeasible".

For decades, Mars has always been an ambitious destination for humans. There was a time when we thought the Red Planet was very close, as NASA's programs moved closer to reality, opening a new era for space science.

NASA's Mars sample recovery program's cost increased 4 times, and the time was pushed to 2040. (Photo: Getty).

But in an announcement released on April 15, NASA officials said that multiple delays and cost overruns had made their most feasible plan gradually become distant. .

We're talking about the Mars sample return mission , also known as the Mars Sample Recovery Program . The program, initially launched in 2023, was predicted to have a total cost of 2.5 - 3 billion USD, and be completed in 2031. 

But now, everything seems to be going beyond NASA's control . "The cost of the mission has been increased beyond $11 billion , and the time has been pushed to 2040. That is unacceptable ," Bill Nelson, NASA Director, said in the announcement.

He also admitted that returning samples to Mars would be one of the most complex missions NASA has ever undertaken. Therefore, this agency calls for support from governments and organizations around the world to develop a new, more feasible and more realistic plan.

NASA's ambition to conquer Mars was dealt a blow after admitting their plan was "unfeasible" (Photo: Getty).

The statement of the head of NASA created a huge shock in public opinion, because now their ambitious plan towards Mars is at risk of being unfinished.

This conclusion cites reasons such as limited available budget resources, in order to balance allocation with other high-priority scientific projects, such as the Dragonfly drone mission to the Titan satellite. of Saturn.

However, Bill Nelson reinforced the view that NASA does not want to end the program, because it is considered too important, especially when the agency is looking to send astronauts to the Red Planet in the future.

It is known that NASA's ambitious plan initially included launching a lander built by NASA, named Perseverance , to Jezero crater on Mars to collect samples.

These samples will then be lifted into Mars orbit by the MAV launch vehicle , where a spacecraft built by the European Space Agency (ESA) will bring it back to Earth. 

This plan has excited people interested in the Red Planet for a long time. According to experts, the mission will not only provide invaluable data about humanity's upcoming destination, but could also help make future missions much simpler.