Returning dirt from Mars to Earth is becoming a real possibility.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is funded by American tax dollars. In order to use this money as wisely as possible, NASA hires a group of scholars to perform independent research into the best ways to get the most science out of their money. This research is compiled into a detailed report known as the decadal survey. The most recent decadal survey was just released, and it recommends that NASA focus on returning a sample of Mars to Earth, and sending a robotic mission to Uranus.
The Decadal Survey
The decadal survey is an in-depth study published every ten years by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS). There are three decadal surveys, one for Earth Science, one for Astronomy and Astrophysics, and one for Planetary Science and Astrobiology. Last fall the NAS released the decadal survey for astronomy. I wrote about what they suggested in my previous blog article. They serve as road maps and guide NASA’s pursuits far into the future.
To write the most recent decadal survey hundreds of scientific papers were
submitted by scientists. Panels made up of leading scholars analyzed these papers and determined what the majority of scientists think.
The previous decadal survey for planetary exploration was released in 2011. The flagship missions that it recommended were a rover to cache Martian soil samples and an orbiter to search for life on Europa. This led NASA to begin development of the Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars last year, and on Europa Clipper.
After 2 years of hard work a draft of the decadal survey was released on April 19th, and it has over 700 pages. Small changes will be made before it is officially published later this year. This decadal survey is for the decade of 2023 through 2032 and has been highly anticipated.
The Report
So what did the Planetary Science Decadal Survey suggest?
It began by mentioning some recent discoveries and then outlined twelve key questions that need to be answered about our solar system and universe. These questions fit into three broader questions. How did the early solar system coalesce and form? How did the planets in our solar system form and how do they function? How does life begin and does it exist anywhere else in our solar system?
The report then made recommendations on how to answer these questions and which missions are most important for NASA to pursue. They analyzed launch windows, mission concepts, and predicted budgets to determine which missions were most realistic and scientifically valuable. Below I am going to mention some of the main missions that the report recommended. You can view the official 700-page report here, or you can read the pages listed in my sources for a more concise overview.
Mars Sample Return
The Decadal Survey said that NASA’s biggest priority should be the Mars Sample Return program. The Mars Sample Return is a multi-component mission that is in the early design process. It will accomplish what scientists have dreamed about for decades: return dirt samples from Mars to Earth. It is a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). Contracts have already been awarded and prototypes of components are being constructed.
The MSR mission began with the landing of the Perseverance rover, which is currently collecting the samples that will eventually be returned to Earth. The decadal survey said that the MSR is NASA’s highest priority robotic mission for this decade. It also emphasizes that returning samples from the surface of Mars to Earth is extremely hard, as is evident by the programs $5.3 billion price tag. The MSR will be more expensive than many Flagship missions, but the decadal survey does not classify it as a flagship mission, but as the next mission in NASA’s Mars Exploration Program.
Since MSR will be so expensive, the report does not recommend NASA work on any other Mars missions until after peak spending on MSR ends. Peak spending will probably occur shortly before launch. When that happens NASA should begin development of a medium-class mission to search for evidence of life in the ice deposits on Mars.
Flagship Missions
NASA’s largest, most expensive interplanetary missions are sometimes called flagships. They cost billions of dollars and can take decades to complete. Examples include the Cassini orbiter, Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, and upcoming Europa Clipper. They are not in an organized program since they launch infrequently and are each managed separately. Since they require a large amount of resources they must be chosen with care. This is why they are usually chosen based on what priorities are set out by the decadal survey, and not just what politicians want.
After considering 6 different flagship mission concepts, the NAS determined that the most important mission to complete is a mission to the gas giant Uranus. Uranus is one of two planets to never be orbited by a spacecraft (the other is Neptune). It has only been visited by a single spacecraft, NASA’s Voyager 2 probe. Which performed a brief flyby of the ice giant in 1986. Uranus is very hard to reach because it is so far from Earth. It's also very mysterious, we don't understand why it spins on its side or what causes its strange weather or unusual magnetic field. To answer these questions a dedicated orbiter is needed.
The decadal survey recommends that NASA build and launch a multi-billion dollar orbiter with scientific instruments and a atmospheric entry probe to Uranus. If all goes according to plan, then the mission will launch in June 2031 and will arrive at its destination after performing a flyby of Jupiter and cruising through space for over a decade. The orbiter will then deploy a separate probe to plunge into the atmosphere of Uranus to collect data on it. It would then spend a few years studying the composition, rings, moons, and magnetosphere of Uranus.
The report also said that the second highest priority flagship mission is a mission to Saturn's moon Enceladus. Enceladus is an icy moon with a potentially habitable underground ocean. If they get enough money the decadal recommends that NASA build a spacecraft to orbit Enceladus and then land on its surface and dig into the icy crust.
New Frontiers Program Ideas
NASA's New Frontiers program builds medium-cost robotic spacecraft. They have many scientific instruments, but don't have budgets as large as flagship missions. Only four missions in the New Frontiers mission have been launched, one of them is Juno, which is currently studying Jupiter’s interior. These missions can perform a lot of science, but often require more money and technology development. They are selected from a list of mission ideas that are chosen by the decadal survey.
An updated list of New Frontiers mission themes was suggested. Beginning with the 6th New Frontiers mission, missions will be selected to study these targets. Some Discovery missions might also be selected to fulfill these mission concepts.
An orbiter and lander to study a Centaur, which is a kind of small body that orbits between the outer planets
A mission to return a sample from the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres
A mission to return a sample from the surface of a comet
A Saturn orbiter to perform multiple flybys of Enceladus and search for evidence of life
A network of landers that will study the Moon’s interior and environment
A probe to study the composition and interior of Saturn
An orbiter to study Titan
A mission to perform in-situ studies of Venus
Some of these exciting mission ideas will fly in the future, and will discover new things about how the solar system formed, how it functions, and where life could exist.
Conclusion
I am glad that NASA is able to get a good list of suggestions made by professionals and not have to only listen to politicians. The findings of this report are exciting. This report not only guides NASA's decisions, but guides the entire international scientific community. I agree with the prioritization of returning Martian soil samples and exploration of Uranus. This report gave many more suggestions than I have time to talk about. Excellent suggestions were also made for NASA's Artemis, planetary defense, and Commercial Lunar Payload Services programs.
The only thing that NASA needs now is the funding that they deserve. NASA receives less than 1% of the total US budget. If the US government can spare only a few billion dollars then these amazing missions can become a reality. This would allow us to answer questions that have troubled some of the greatest minds of the past and present. What lurks beneath the clouds of Venus? Why is Uranus on its side? Is there any potential for life on Ceres? What goes on within Saturn? Is Enceladus actually habitable?
Most importantly we may finally learn the answer to the age-old question: "are we alone"?
Primary Source: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/26522/interactive/
Other Sources: