NASA's Mars Sample Return mission is in big trouble, and the space agency is grasping at straws to find a new plan to make it work.

NASA's beleaguered Mars Sample Return program currently faces extreme costs of up to $11 billion and a timeline that could reach 2040.

NASA is moving ahead with work on a pair of Mars sample return missions, although some in the planetary science community worry about its cost.

Members of Congress are asking NASA not to slow down work on Mars Sample Return now while also lobbying for more money for the effort in 2024.