Introduction to the 2018 iMOST Study

The analysis in Earth laboratories of samples that could be returned from Mars is of extremely high interest to the Mars exploration community, and on an international basis. IMEWG (the International Mars Exploration Working Group) is currently exploring options to involve the international community in the planning for returned sample science, including the analysis of the returned samples. The Mars 2020 sample-caching rover mission is an essential component of the Mars Sample Return campaign, so its existence constitutes a critical opportunity-MSR is more real now than it has ever been. The Mars 2020 samples, when returned, would provide the basis for performing a variety of Earth-based experiments including ones related to the search for the signs of life.