In 1977-1978, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Mars Program studied a low-cost "minimum" Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission as a potential follow-on to the Viking missions. Late in 1978, JPL Mars ...

The NASA Advisory Council created the Solar System Exploration Committee (SSEC) in 1980 at the behest of Robert Frosch, NASA's fifth Administrator. The SSEC was charged with developing an affordable, ...

A photo montage showing sample tubes shortly after they were deposited onto the surface by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. Credit: NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MSSS ORLANDO, Fla. — NASA will spend the next year ...

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a very popular analysis tool for 3D surface topology visualization and other measurements on a wide range of materials at nanoscales ...

Rocket Lab's MSR study involves two Neutron launches of a sample retrieval lander and Earth return orbiter. Credit: Rocket Lab WASHINGTON — NASA has awarded a contract to Rocket Lab to study ...