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Utilizing Martian samples for future planetary exploration-Characterizing hazards and resources.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Division of Space, Ecological, Arctic, and Resource-limited (SPEAR) Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114.
One of the most surprising and important findings of the first human landings on the Moon was the discovery of a very fine layer of lunar dust covering the entire surface of Moon along with the negative impacts of this dust on the well-being and operational effectiveness of the astronauts, their equipment, and instrumentation. The United States is now planning for human missions to Mars, a planet where dust can also be expected to be ubiquitous for many or most landing sites. For these missions, the design and operations of key hardware systems must take this dust into account, especially when related to crew health and safety.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPerspectives on Mars Sample Return: A critical resource for planetary science and exploration.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Division of Earth and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125.
Mars Sample Return (MSR) has been the highest flagship mission priority in the last two Planetary Decadal Surveys of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (hereafter, "the National Academies") and was the highest priority flagship for Mars in the Decadal Survey that preceded them. This inspirational and challenging campaign, like the Apollo program's returned lunar samples, will potentially revolutionize our understanding of Mars and help inform how other planets are explored. MSR's technological advances will keep the NASA and European Space Agency at the forefront of planetary exploration, and data on returned samples will fill knowledge gaps for future human exploration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrganic matter and biomarkers: Why are samples required?
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany.
The search for evidence of past prebiotic or biotic activity on Mars will be enhanced by the return of samples to Earth laboratories. While impressive analytical feats have been accomplished by in situ missions on the red planet, accessing the capabilities of Earth's global laboratories will present a step change in data acquisition. Highly diagnostic markers of past life are biomarkers, organic molecules whose architecture can be attributed to once living organisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSampling Mars: Geologic context and preliminary characterization of samples collected by the NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109.
The NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission has collected samples of rock, regolith, and atmosphere within the Noachian-aged Jezero Crater, once the site of a delta-lake system with a high potential for habitability and biosignature preservation. Between sols 109 and 1,088 of the mission, 27 sample tubes have been sealed, including witness tubes. Each sealed sample tube has been collected along with detailed documentation provided by the Perseverance instrument payload, preserving geological and environmental context.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMars Sample Return: From collection to curation of samples from a habitable world.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Science Group, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom.
NASA's Mars 2020 mission has initiated collection of samples from Mars' Jezero Crater, which has a wide range of ancient rocks and rock types from lavas to lacustrine sedimentary rocks. The Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign, a joint effort between NASA and ESA, aims to bring the Perseverance collection back to Earth for intense scientific investigation. As the first return of samples from a habitable world, there are important challenges to overcome for the successful implementation of the MSR Campaign from the point of sample collection on Mars to the long-term curation of the samples on Earth.
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