• SpecialSetOfSieves@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    2·
    4 days ago

    Key quote from Steve Ruff/Mars Guy:

    I’ll note that China’s mission probably won’t have access to comparably compelling samples as those collected by Perseverance because of engineering constraints that limit where it can land, and the limited mobility options it will have.

    In my opinion, Professor Ruff is understating his case here. Regular readers will already be aware of the incredible science value of the samples Percy has collected (particularly those the rover has onboard right now, which are collectively more valuable than those already delivered to the sample depot), but I’d like to make a comparison of my own.

    The planned Tianwen-3 sample return mission would be the “Apollo 11” of sample return.

    Returning all of the Perseverance samples would be like Apollo 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 - combined.

    We have sealed tubes that sample multiple generations of watery environments on Mars, one that lasted tens of millions of years (at minimum). We would be able to date the formation of Jezero Crater, which would help us understand the ages of events all over the planet. AND WE HAVE SAMPLE 25, which contains a potential biosignature (and that’s not just my opinion).

    If successful, return of Percy’s samples could trigger seismic advances for entire sciences, like geology and biology, not just planetary science. People should understand what’s at stake.