NASA's SkyFall Mars helicopter proposal raises concerns among planetary scientists over mission priorities and funding
By
Meghan Bartels
Summary
NASA's proposed SkyFall mission would send three identical helicopters to Mars via a nuclear-propelled spacecraft launching in late 2028. However, planetary scientists are concerned that the ambitious and costly project could undermine existing Mars research missions, particularly the long-standing effort to bring samples back to Earth to search for signs of ancient life. The proposal caught many researchers off guard, and there is uncertainty about how SkyFall would support or align with current Mars exploration priorities.
Source
bskyNASA's SkyFall Mars helicopter proposal raises concerns among planetary scientists over mission priorities and fundingscientificamerican.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledIn March NASA unveiled SkyFall, a flashy proposal for packing three identical helicopters into a first-of-its-kind nuclear-propelled spacecraft to be launched to Mars in late 2028.
The announcement caught many planetary scientists unaware.
They say it's unclear how SkyFall would support their decades-long endeavor to search for signs of ancient habitability and life on Mars by bringing samples from that world back to Earth.
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