We live in exciting times of space exploration, as one of humanity's most ambitious ideas is becoming a reality. Since February 2021, the Perseverance Rover has been exploring Mars, analyzing rocks and searching for signs of past or present life.
Unlike previous rovers, Perseverance is drilling into the martian surface to store small samples in hermetically sealed containers, preparing them for return to Earth.
About the project and objectives
The whole campaign of Mars Sample Return (MSR) is led jointly by NASA and ESA with the aim of bringing samples collected by NASA's Perseverance Rover to the Earth. It will include collecting the set of samples from Mars, the receival on Earth, curation and handling of the samples for scientific investigation. These samples will enable studies of Mars' geological and potential biological history in ways previously unimaginable.
NASA's Perseverance Rover collected samples from the surface of Mars, sealed them in 38 titanium tubes, and deposited these at a location called Three Forks Depot, intended for future return to Earth. The sample containers will be retrieved by a robotic equipment and sent back to Earth with two rockets – in about 10 years. This process is known as "sample return."
However, before studies on the samples commence, extensive testing on analogues is needed to foresee and investigate any potential issues in engineering, science, curation, and planetary protection. Therefore, strategically selected natural samples from the field, best representing various properties of the Mars 2020 samples, are now being collected through dedicated field campaigns all across Earth.
The analogue samples of Mars Sample Return Analogue Sample Library (MSR ASL) are stored and curated at the Natural History Museum in Oslo. Properties of the samples are being characterized and catalogued. The sample catalogue and data library will be released soon and is then publicly available.
After basic properties of samples are catalogued, collection will be made available for allocations for both engineering and science experts who are directly connected to preparation of MSR systems, as well as colleagues who are involved in education, outreach, and communication of MSR.
Sample allocation process will be managed by a joint NASA-ESA MSR Analogue Sample Allocation Panel (ASAP). Requests for the samples will be made via a web-interface, expected to be released within 2024.
