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Bringing Mars Back To Earth

April 26, 2018

NASA and the European Space Agency are now working together to explore options for a pair of missions that could take the next steps to bring samples back from Mars.

Credits

NASA/JPL-Caltech

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This artist's concept shows Mars Sample Return Earth Entry System. The vehicle would bring curated Martian samples collected by NASA’s Perseverance Rover on the final leg of their journey from Mars...
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This artist's concept shows Mars Sample Return Earth Entry System, a vehicle that would bring curated Martian samples collected by NASA’s Perseverance Rover on the final leg of their journey from Mars to Earth
Artist's Concept of the Earth Entry System for Mars Sample Return
This stereo vista from the panoramic camera (Pancam) of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity catches "Pillinger Point," on the western rim of Endeavour Crater, in the foreground. The image com...
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This stereo vista from the panoramic camera (Pancam) of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity catches "Pillinger Point," on the western rim of Endeavour Crater, in the foreground.
'Pillinger Point' Overlooking Endeavour Crater on Mars (Stereo)
Download a PDF of the Curiosity Sticker Template.
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Curiosity Sticker Template
Curiosity Sticker Template
This image shows part of Ladon Vallis that is located within Ladon basin.
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This image shows part of Ladon Vallis that is located within Ladon basin.
Light-Toned Layered Rock Outcrop in Ladon Valles (3-D)
NASA's Mars 2020 rover will store rock and soil samples in sealed tubes on the planet's surface for future missions to retrieve, as seen in this illustration.
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NASA's Mars 2020 rover will store rock and soil samples in sealed tubes on the planet's surface for future missions to retrieve, as seen in this illustration.
Mars 2020 With Sample Tubes (Artist's Concept)
"Yogi" is a meter-size rock about 5 meters northwest of the Mars Pathfinder lander and was the second rock visited by the Sojourner Rover's alpha proton X-ray spectrometer (APXS) instrument. This v...
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"Yogi" is a meter-size rock about 5 meters northwest of the Mars Pathfinder lander and was the second rock visited by the Sojourner Rover's alpha proton X-ray spectrometer (APXS) instrument
Yogi in Super Resolution from Super Panorama
Color has been added to highlight minerals in this image of Jezero Crater on Mars, the landing site for NASA's Mars 2020 mission. The green color represents minerals called carbonates, which are es...
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Color has been added to highlight minerals in this image of Jezero Crater on Mars, the landing site for NASA's Mars 2020 mission.
Jezero Crater Minerals
This 360-degree stereo anaglyph of the terrain surrounding NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity was taken on the rover's 171st sol on Mars (July 17, 2004).
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This 360-degree stereo anaglyph of the terrain surrounding NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity.
'Endurance' All Around (3-D)
This illustration shows a concept for multiple robots that would team up to ferry to Earth samples of rock and soil collected from the Martian surface by NASA's Mars Perseverance rover.
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This illustration shows a concept for multiple robots that would team up to ferry to Earth samples of rock and soil collected from the Martian surface by NASA's Mars Perseverance rover.
Mars Sample Return Concept Illustration
This 360-degree view, called the "McMurdo" panorama, comes from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. From April through October 2006, Spirit has stayed on a small ...
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This 360-degree view, called the "McMurdo" panorama, comes from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit.
'McMurdo' Panorama from Spirit's 'Winter Haven' (Color Stereo)
Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, right, and Erisa Hines of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, try out the Microsoft HoloLens mixed-reality headset during a preview of "Destin...
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Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Erisa Hines of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, try out the Microsoft HoloLens mixed-reality headset during a preview of "Destination: Mars" at Kennedy Space Center visitor complex in Florida.
Previewing 'Destination: Mars'
This image covers plains near Aureum Chaos.
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This image covers plains near Aureum Chaos.
What is This Stuff? (3-D)
Download a PDF of MAVEN Frequently Asked Questions.
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MAVEN FAQs
MAVEN FAQs
Two images from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity rover depicting the change in the color of light illuminating the Martian surface since a dust storm engulfed Gale Crater. The left ima...
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Two images from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity rover depicting the change in the color of light illuminating the Martian surface since a dust storm engulfed Gale Crater.
Duluth After Dust Storm
This annotated map shows the locations where NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover collected its first witness tube and filled its first six samples.
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This annotated map shows the locations where NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover collected its first witness tube and filled its first six samples. The name of each rock target appears at the top of each inset image. Also indicated is the Martian day, or sol, of the rover’s mission and whether the rover abraded the target or drilled for a core sample.
Mapping Perseverance's First Six Samples
Download a PDF of the 2001 Mars Odyssey Arrival Press Kit.
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Odyssey arrival press kit
2001 Mars Odyssey Arrival Press Kit
Meet some of the women team members and hear about the exciting and challenging jobs they do in science and engineering while working with Mars rover Curiosity.
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Meet some of the women team members and hear about the exciting and challenging jobs they do in science and engineering while working with Mars rover Curiosity.
Woman Working on Mars: Amanda Steffy
The Earth "rings" whenever earthquakes strike, just as vibrations moving through a bell creates a ringing sound. The InSight mission will see if tremors cause Mars to chime in with its own planetar...
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The Earth "rings" whenever earthquakes strike, just as vibrations moving through a bell creates a ringing sound. The InSight mission will see if tremors cause Mars to chime in with its own planetary song.
Music of the Spheres
Teddy Tzanetos, MiMi Aung and Bob Balaram of NASA’s Mars Helicopter project observe a flight test.
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Teddy Tzanetos, MiMi Aung and Bob Balaram of NASA’s Mars Helicopter project observe a flight test.
Monitoring the Mars Helicopter
All landings on Mars are difficult, but NASA's Perseverance rover is attempting to touch down in the most challenging terrain on Mars ever targeted. 
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All landings on Mars are difficult, but NASA's Perseverance rover is attempting to touch down in the most challenging terrain on Mars ever targeted.
NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Landing in Most Difficult Site Ever Attempted
On Aug. 27, 2021, NASA's Perseverance rover captured this image of the science-instrument-laden turret at the end of its robotic arm getting close to the rock nicknamed "Rochette."
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This is a colored image of the Perseverance rover capturing the science-instrument-laden turret at the end of its robotic arm getting close to the rock nicknamed "Rochette." The sandy surface of Mars and hills can be seen in the background of this image.
Perseverance Gets to Know 'Rochette'
One of the very first places photographed by the MOC at the start of the Mapping Mission in March 1999 was a field of dunes located in Nili Patera, a volcanic depression in central Syrtis Major. A ...
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One of the very first places photographed by the MOC at the start of the Mapping Mission in March 1999 was a field of dunes located in Nili Patera, a volcanic depression in central Syrtis Major
Sand Dunes of Nili Patera in 3-D
This image is located within Northern Sinus Meridiani, a region of ridged terrains and extensive stratigraphic layering. 
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This image is located within Northern Sinus Meridiani, a region of ridged terrains and extensive stratigraphic layering.
Crater with Surrounding Bench in Sinus Meridiani (3-D)
This 3-D cylindrical-perspective projection was constructed from a sequence of four images taken by the navigation camera onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The images were acquired...
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This 3-D cylindrical-perspective projection was constructed from a sequence of four images taken by the navigation camera onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity
One View, Two Craters (3-D)
So, you want to study Mars with a lander or rover - but where exactly do you send it? Learn how scientists and engineers tackle this question in this 60-second video from NASA's Jet Propulsion Labo...
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So, you want to study Mars with a lander or rover - but where exactly do you send it? Learn how scientists and engineers tackle this question in this 60-second video from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Mars in a Minute: How Do You Choose a Landing Site?

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