NASA’s Mars Sample Return has a new price tag–and it’s colossal

Re:NASA’s Mars Sample Return has a new price tag–and it’s co... by munchler on Saturday June 24, 2023 @10:56AM (#36459206)

The chance that any of those samples contains evidence of extraterrestrial life is quite low. No one is betting this much money on those kind of odds. The samples are scientifically valuable even if they are “just dirt”.

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Re:NASA’s Mars Sample Return has a new price tag–and it’s co... by 1970-01-01 on Saturday June 24, 2023 @11:09AM (#36459336)

This is essentially the issue. Nobody expects life in these tubes. The project was designed to find it, and the assumption was made that a high confidence sample would fuel and expedite a return mission. With a very high price tag and a very low chance of finding life, it's better to spend money elsewhere.

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