Operational Workflow in a Sample Receiving Facility: Input from the MSR Operation Definition Team

The return of scientifically selected samples from Mars would provide a rare opportunity for
investigation with the full range of the latest technology available. To take full advantage of
this opportunity, it is important to plan ahead to ensure the pristine nature of the samples
upon arrival within the Earth environment until scientific investigations can begin.
The NASA/ESA science community-driven MSR Science Planning Group – Phase 2 (MSPG2)
delivered recommendations and guidance regarding curation (1) and science (2,3) activities to
be performed on the samples under containment. High-level requirements for the infrastructure were also developed by MSPG2 (4). In order to prepare infrastructure-targeted input for
the ESA and NASA facility studies planned in the 2022-2023 timeframe, the MSR agency-led
Operational Scenarios Definition Team (MOSDT) was assembled to conceptualize the sample
operations that will inform future architecture teams. Emphasis was placed on the responsibility of MOSDT to use community-defined requirements and to represent the view of the international scientific community.

The main deliverable of MOSDT was an operational workflow for a Sample Receiving Facility
(SRF). Two other deliverables were produced: a report to narrate the workflow, and a list of
instruments (see Hutzler et al., this conference). Activities described in the main sequence of the workflow range from engineering operations to curation to science, with the latter term being
used here as the science to be done within a SRF. Side sequences (e.g. engineering inspection
of hardware, head gas extraction) were also identified, and detailed when they would have a
significant impact on the infrastructure of a SRF. It was necessary for the MOSDT to rely on
assumptions for some steps and activities, and though these were kept to a minimum (and are
described in both the report supporting the workflow and in the full presentation), in general,
the assumptions and overall work were very conservative, as the impact of underestimating the
scope of the SRF infrastructure was considered more detrimental than overestimating it. It is
expected that future work will be able to confirm or inform these assumptions.

The community was consulted during the course of the MOSDT work. This abstract’s aim
is two-fold: on one hand, inform the scientific community and overall MSR stakeholders, to
make the infrastructure studies and trade-off more understandable; on the other hand, to solicit
feedback from a larger community audience for the next iterations planning for SRF design and
activities.