Sample Return Missions

Of the NASA missions planned for the next twenty years, the Sample Return Mission of 2013 is by far the most daring. Although landers and rovers can perform valuable soil analysis on the surface of mars, the scope of the research and testing that can be done in remote, automated labs is very limited. However, if samples from Mars could be returned to Earth, scientists could make use of vast "international capabilities in scientific instrumentation" available on Earth's surface.

Although NASA does not plan to execute the sample return mission until 2013, a great deal of planning has already gone into its design. After its launch from Earth, the mother ship will travel by conventional rockets to Mars. Once it reaches Mars, the orbiter will enter the planet's orbit. From orbit, the lander will be deployed and will crash-land on the surface of Mars at a predetermined landing site. The lander will then deploy a rover capable of traversing the rocky terrain of Mars and obtaining useful mineral samples. Using core-drilling techniques already in existence, the rover will take several small core samples of representative geological features. Once several samples have been collected, they will be sealed on the surface of Mars using "remote welding" technology that is currently being developed. The sealing of the samples must be sufficient to prevent even air particles in the earth's atmosphere from penetrating the seal. Any contamination of the samples by elements from Earth upon the return of the sample could ruin the samples and make them useless to scientists on Earth .

Once the sample collection and sealing are complete, the sealed collector will be launched from the surface of Mars. First, the lander will set up its own remote launch pad. A rocket accompanying the lander will launch the collector into orbit. The collector will then be captured by the Mars orbiter and return to Earth within the orbiter, returning to Earth two years later. Upon reaching Earth, the orbiter will either re-enter the atmosphere or be retrieved by a Space Shuttle mission .
The samples will then be checked exhaustively in a contained environment to ensure that no harmful toxins or organisms are released into the Earth environment. After ensuring that the samples are not harmful, NASA will distribute them to scientists for analysis .

Each aspect of the Mars Sample Return Mission's design will benefit the cause of technology and science. The return of a sample would expand the possibility of mining Mars for mineral resources that are not abundant on Earth but could be useful to industry in the future. Such a mining process would allow industries that rely on scarce minerals to grow and develop.