{"id":541,"date":"2022-03-02T15:24:20","date_gmt":"2022-03-02T15:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/03\/02\/nasa-picks-lockheed-martin-to-build-rocket-that-can-launch-samples-of-dirt-off-of-mars\/"},"modified":"2022-03-02T15:24:20","modified_gmt":"2022-03-02T15:24:20","slug":"nasa-picks-lockheed-martin-to-build-rocket-that-can-launch-samples-of-dirt-off-of-mars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/03\/02\/nasa-picks-lockheed-martin-to-build-rocket-that-can-launch-samples-of-dirt-off-of-mars\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA picks Lockheed Martin to build rocket that can launch samples of dirt off of Mars"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/2\/8\/22923320\/nasa-lockheed-martin-mars-sample-return-mav-rocket-perseverance<\/a>
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NASA has picked space and defense contractor Lockheed Martin<\/a> to build a small rocket capable of lifting off from the surface of Mars carrying samples of the Red Planet\u2019s rocks and other materials. The decision is a big step in a long journey to eventually bring pristine pieces of Mars back to Earth so that scientists can study them in greater detail. If successful, Lockheed Martin\u2019s rocket could become the first to launch from another planet.<\/p>\n

The rocket that Lockheed Martin is charged with building is known as the \u201cMars Ascent Vehicle,\u201d or the MAV. It\u2019s a key part of NASA\u2019s plan to retrieve samples of Martian dirt that are currently being gathered by the space agency\u2019s Mars rover, Perseverance. Last year, NASA successfully landed Perseverance on Mars<\/a> with the explicit goal of gathering samples of the Martian environment while looking for signs of life<\/a>. Perseverance has gathered a handful of samples so far and will eventually leave them on the surface of Mars to be picked up later.<\/p>\n

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