Testing Mars Sample Return

Teams from various NASA facilities and the European Space Agency are collaborating to develop a series of flights that would bring the samples the Mars Perseverance rover is gathering back to Earth safely. Innovative techniques and technologies are being created and tested, from sample collection on Mars to their launch off the planet's surface for possible return to Earth.This movie shows part of the prototype testing being done for the Earth Entry System, Mars Ascent Vehicle launch systems, and the Sample Retrieval Lander. At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, Marshall Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, several tests are being conducted.