NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
The Acquisition, Containment, and Curation of Mars Samples on EarthThe Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office at NASA Johnson Space Center (henceforth AACO) is responsible for receiving and curating all of NASA’s extraterrestrial samples, current and future (as per NASA Policy Directive (NPD) 7100.10E “Curation of Extraterrestrial Materials”). As such, the AACO coordinates sample capture, containment, and transportation to the curation facility as well as documents, preserves, prepares, and distributes all of the samples within NASA’s astromaterial collections for research, education, and public outreach. Since the lunar rock and soil samples returned during the Apollo Program, NASA’s first Class V Restricted Earth Return Missions, the AACO curates six other astromaterials collections. Lessons learned from each collection and respective missions (e.g. Apollo, Genesis, Stardust) as well as advancements in science and technology have informed the AACO’s plan for acquiring and curating Martian samples. Given the nature of the collection, a mobile and modular facility is recommended. The two broad requirements a Mars sample facility must maintain are: 1) the ability to contain the samples to protect the public from exposure of an “unknown unknown” biological agent and 2) ensure the scientific integrity of the samples are maintained (while maximizing scientific outcome). Although Apollo samples were eventually deemed safe and released to the scientific community for evaluation, there is no guarantee that this will be the case for Martian samples. Therefore, the facility in which the samples will be contained and investigated must be modular and able to accommodate an array of instrumentation that could be highly variable depending on the initial scientific outcomes. Furthermore, in order to facilitate proper sample capture and containment upon landing as well as sample distribution to other laboratories with proper containment, a mobile facility is a valuable investment.
Document ID
20190002735
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Abstract
Authors
Harrington, Andrea D.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Calaway, Michael J.
(Jacobs Technology, Inc. Houston, TX, United States)
Hutzler, Aurore
(Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) Houston, TX, United States)
McCubbin, Francis M.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
April 24, 2019
Publication Date
April 7, 2019
Subject Category
Space Sciences (General)
Report/Patent Number
JSC-E-DAA-TN67664
Meeting Information
Meeting: AGU General Assembly
Location: Vienna
Country: Austria
Start Date: April 7, 2019
End Date: April 12, 2019
Sponsors: European Geosciences Union (EGU)
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
No Preview Available