"Challenges and Ambitions: NASA's Mars Mission Under Scrutiny"

NASA's Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission faces delays and cost overruns, leading to layoffs at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The House Science Committee's space subcommittee discussed the challenges of MSR and other ambitious NASA science missions, with Rep. Mike Garcia criticizing NASA for reducing MSR funding and leading to layoffs. NASA officials provided few updates on the ongoing review to restructure MSR, while acknowledging the challenges faced by flagship missions like MSR and the James Webb Space Telescope. The agency is learning from these difficulties but continues to grapple with delays and overruns in its ambitious science missions.