{"id":71788,"date":"2019-08-13T05:44:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T09:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-450179"},"modified":"2023-08-16T17:46:01","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T21:46:01","slug":"space-samples-link-nasas-apollo-11-and-mars-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/mars-2020-perseverance\/perseverance-rover\/space-samples-link-nasas-apollo-11-and-mars-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Space Samples Link NASA’s Apollo 11 and Mars 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/apollo-mars2020-20190809-16.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"788\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/apollo-mars2020-20190809-16.jpg?w=1400\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Mars 2020 rover\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/apollo-mars2020-20190809-16.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/apollo-mars2020-20190809-16.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/apollo-mars2020-20190809-16.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/apollo-mars2020-20190809-16.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/apollo-mars2020-20190809-16.jpg?resize=400,225 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/apollo-mars2020-20190809-16.jpg?resize=600,338 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/apollo-mars2020-20190809-16.jpg?resize=900,507 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/apollo-mars2020-20190809-16.jpg?resize=1200,675 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">From left to right: Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands on the Moon; 47 pounds (21.5 kilograms) of samples were brought back to Earth from that mission; the Mars 2020 rover, seen here in an artist’s concept rover, will be taking the first planetary samples at Jezero Crater, Mars (on right).<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">Credits: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>On July 24, 1969, Apollo 11 command module Columbia splashed down in the Pacific, fulfilling President Kennedy\u2019s goal to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth. Among the mission\u2019s many firsts was the acquisition and return of the first samples from another celestial body. Findings based on the 47 pounds (21.5 kilograms) of lunar rock and soil rewrote the textbooks on both the Moon and solar system, and the samples are still being studied today by researchers using new and more sensitive instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With its launch window opening on July 17, 2020 \u2014 less than a year from today \u2014NASA\u2019s Mars 2020 rover will mark another first: The rover will not only seek signs of ancient habitable conditions and past microbial life but will collect rock and soil samples, storing them on the planet\u2019s surface for a future mission to retrieve.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cApollo 11 demonstrated the immense value of returning samples from other worlds for analysis here on Earth,\u201d said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA\u2019s associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate. \u201cToday, we are standing on the shoulders of Apollo, preparing for the launch of the initial step in humanity\u2019s first roundtrip and sample return from another planet \u2014 Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2020 rover will land at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/news.php?feature=7286\" rel=\"noopener\">Jezero Crater<\/a> on Feb. 18, 2021, equipped with a system to cache science samples in tubes that will be delivered to a safe drop-off site.Two subsequent missions, currently in the concept stage, would be needed to bring the Mars 2020 samples home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One mission would land a rocket (the Mars Ascent Vehicle) and a spacecraft carrying a rover about the size of NASA\u2019s Opportunity Mars rover at Jezero Crater. The rover would gather the cached samples and carry them back to the ascent vehicle, which would then launch the samples into Mars orbit. The other mission (which would already be in orbit around Mars when the ascent vehicle launches) would rendezvous with and capture the orbiting samples, before returning them to Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNASA and the European Space Agency are solidifying these exciting mission concepts to retrieve the samples,\u201d said Zurbuchen. \u201cJust as the first samples returned to Earth from the Moon\u2019s Sea of Tranquility made history, the first samples returned to Earth from another planet will make history and amaze us all over again. And those samples will come from Mars\u2019 Jezero Crater.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the significance of being part of the first step in a sample return mission from another planet is not lost on anyone involved with Mars 2020, it has a special significance to John McNamee, Mars 2020 project manager at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was at the Cape and saw the launch of Apollo 11,\u201d said McNamee. \u201cI remember the sense of awe and pride I felt watching that Saturn V majestically rise from the pad. I knew I was watching exploration history. To be a part of a team determined to do their part to bring back samples from another planet gives me that same feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>JPL is building and will manage operations of the Mars 2020 rover for the NASA Science Mission Directorate at the agency\u2019s headquarters in Washington. NASA will use Mars 2020 and other missions, including to the Moon, to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. The agency plans to establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon through NASA\u2019s Artemis lunar exploration plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To submit your name to travel to Mars with NASA\u2019s 2020 mission and obtain a souvenir boarding pass to the Red Planet, go here by Sept. 30, 2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/go.nasa.gov\/Mars2020Pass\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/go.nasa.gov\/Mars2020Pass<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about the mission, go to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/mars2020\/\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/mars2020\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>DC Agle\u00a0<br><\/strong>Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.<br>818-393-9011<br><a href=\"mailto:agle@jpl.nasa.gov\">agle@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Alana Johnson<br><\/strong>NASA Headquarters, Washington<br>202-672-4780<br><a href=\"http:\/\/alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2019-163<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On July 24, 1969, Apollo 11 command module Columbia splashed down in the Pacific, fulfilling President Kennedy\u2019s goal to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth. Among the mission\u2019s many firsts was the acquisition and return of the first samples from another celestial body. Findings based on the 47 pounds [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":78014,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[8609,2713,2931,3760,2860,3229,2744,2807,2658],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[8605,8612],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Space Samples Link NASA’s Apollo 11 and Mars 2020","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/mars-2020-perseverance\/perseverance-rover\/space-samples-link-nasas-apollo-11-and-mars-2020\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/mars-2020-perseverance\/perseverance-rover\/space-samples-link-nasas-apollo-11-and-mars-2020\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/apollo-mars2020-20190809-16.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/apollo-mars2020-20190809-16.jpg"},"articleSection":"Missions","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Anthony Greicius"}],"creator":["Anthony Greicius"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["The Solar System","Perseverance (Rover)","Apollo","Apollo 11","Earth's Moon","Jet Propulsion Laboratory","Mars","Mars 2020","Planets"],"dateCreated":"2019-08-13T09:44:00Z","datePublished":"2019-08-13T09:44:00Z","dateModified":"2023-08-16T21:46:01Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Space Samples Link NASA’s Apollo 11 and Mars 2020\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/mars-2020-perseverance\/perseverance-rover\/space-samples-link-nasas-apollo-11-and-mars-2020\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/apollo-mars2020-20190809-16.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2019-08-13T09:44:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Missions\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"The Solar System,Perseverance (Rover),Apollo,Apollo 11,Earth's Moon,Jet Propulsion Laboratory,Mars,Mars 2020,Planets\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Anthony Greicius\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"time_ago":"5 years","featured_image":{"id":78014,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/apollo-mars2020-20190809-16.jpg","title":"apollo-mars2020-20190809-16","alt":"Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Mars 2020 rover","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71788"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71788"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":491374,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71788\/revisions\/491374"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71788"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=71788"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=71788"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=71788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}