18
Dec
Washington: NASA has approved the Mars Sample Return (MSR) multi-mission effort to advance to the next phase in preparation to bring the first pristine samples from Mars back to Earth.During this phase, the programme will mature critical technologies and make critical design decisions, as well as assess industry partnerships, NASA said on Friday.The first endeavour of this campaign is in progress as the NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, launched in July, is set to land on the Red Planet February 18, 2021.The car-size rover will search for signs of ancient microbial life. Using a coring drill at the end of its…