NASA’s original exobiology plan called for 100 missions to be flown to Mars by this time. But reality has fallen far short of the plan. NASA’s proposals for a Mars sample return have been stymied repeatedly, due to cost and logistical considerations.
Over the past couple of years, scientists have been closing in on another sample return concept – and the radical shift in NASA’s space vision, announced just this month, could conceivably bring the plan for bringing back Mars life into sharp focus.
Here’s the current timeline, as laid out by the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group, or MEPAG: