NASA's Mars exploration plans need 'paradigm shifts' to succeed, report finds

NASA's Mars exploration needs paradigm shifts for success per a new report.

: NASA's new report emphasizes the need for paradigm shifts in Mars exploration to address longstanding questions about habitability and potential life. The report suggests embracing innovative models and partnerships, focusing on lower-cost missions ranging from $100 million to $300 million or medium-class missions up to $2 billion. It stresses the importance of new mobility technologies and international collaboration to access challenging Martian terrains. Addressing these shifts is crucial as human exploration of Mars could begin in the late 2030s.

NASA's Mars exploration program requires significant paradigm shifts to address key scientific questions about the planet's habitability and the existence of life. The newly released report, 'Expanding the Horizons of Mars Science,' urges for innovative approaches and partnerships among international, commercial, and academic sectors to make Mars exploration sustainable.

The report highlights the importance of lower-cost missions, defined as around $100 million to $300 million, and medium-class missions between $1 billion and $2 billion. Embracing public-private partnerships, similar to NASA's COTS and CLPS, is crucial to achieving more frequent and affordable Mars missions.

NASA is also encouraged to develop advanced Mars mobility capabilities to explore high-risk terrains like steep slopes and caves. As human exploration may be possible by the late 2030s, the window to explore Mars in its unaltered state is limited, emphasizing the urgency for new technologies and broader public engagement in Mars exploration.