Catalog Page for PIA14265

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PIA14265: Martian Samples Leaving Mars (Artist's Concept)

This artist's concept of a proposed Mars sample return mission portrays the launch of an ascent vehicle. The solar panels in the foreground are part of a rover.

Mission:	Mars Sample Return
Product Size:	6478 x 5360 pixels (w x h)
Produced By:	JPL
Full-Res TIFF:	PIA14265.tif (104.2 MB)
Full-Res JPEG:	PIA14265.jpg (2.589 MB)

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

This artist's concept of a proposed Mars sample return mission portrays the launch of an ascent vehicle. The solar panels in the foreground are part of a rover. The rover would have delivered to the ascent vehicle a cache of Martian rock samples that would have been left on the surface by a previous sample-collection rover. The ascent vehicle would release its sample container in Martian orbit, to be retrieved by a spacecraft for carrying the samples to Earth.

NASA and the European Space Agency are collaborating on proposals for a mission to gather samples of Martian rocks and bring them to Earth after 2020. This illustration depicts preliminary concepts, not finished design.

Image Credit:

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Image Addition Date:

2011-06-20