iMARS Phase 2

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Preliminary Planning for Mars Sample Return (MSR) Curation Activities in a Sample Receiving Facility

The Mars Sample Return Planning Group 2 (MSPG2) was tasked with identifying the steps that encompass all the curation activities that would happen within the MSR Sample Receiving Facility (SRF) and any anticipated curation-related requirements. An area of specific interest is the necessary analytical instrumentation. The SRF would be a Biosafety Level-4 facility where the returned MSR flight hardware would be opened, the sample tubes accessed, and the martian sample material extracted from the tubes. Characterization of the essential attributes of each sample would be required to provide enough information to prepare a sample catalog used in guiding the preparation of sample-related proposals by the world’s research community and informing decisions by the sample allocation committee. The sample catalog would be populated with data and information generated during all phases of activity, including data derived concurrent with Mars 2020 sample-collecting rover activity, sample transport to Earth, and initial sample characterization within the SRF. We conclude that initial sample characterization can best be planned as a set of three sequential phases, which we have called Pre-Basic Characterization (Pre-BC), Basic Characterization (BC), and Preliminary Examination (PE), each of which requires a certain amount of instrumentation. Data on specific samples and subsamples obtained during sample safety assessments and time-sensitive scientific investigations would also be added to the catalog. There are several areas where future work would be beneficial to prepare for the receipt of samples, which would include the design of a sample tube isolation chamber and a strategy for opening the sample tubes and removing dust from the tube exteriors

Final Report of the MSR Science Planning Group 2 (MSPG2)

The Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign must meet a series of scientific and technical achievements to be successful. While the respective engineering responsibilities to retrieve the samples have been formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding between ESA and NASA, the roles and responsibilities of the scientific elements have yet to be fully defined. In April 2020, ESA and NASA jointly chartered the MSR Science Planning Group 2 (MSPG2) to build upon previous planning efforts in defining 1) an end-to-end MSR Science Program and 2) needed functionalities and design requirements for an MSR Sample Receiving Facility (SRF). The challenges for the first samples brought from another planet include not only maintaining and providing samples in pristine condition for study, but also maintaining biological containment until the samples meet sample safety criteria for distribution outside of biocontainment. The MSPG2 produced six reports outlining 66 findings. Abbreviated versions of the five additional high-level MSPG2 summary findings are: Summary-1. A long-term NASA/ESA MSR Science Program, along with the necessary funding and human resources, will be required to accomplish the end-to-end scientific objectives of MSR. Summary-2. MSR curation will need to be done concurrently with Biosafety Level-4 containment. This would lead to complex first-of-a-kind curation implementations and require further technology development. Summary-3. Most aspects of MSR sample science can, and should, be performed on samples deemed safe in laboratories outside of the SRF. However, other aspects of MSR sample science are both time-sensitive and sterilization-sensitive and would need to be carried out in the SRF. Summary-4. To meet the unique science, curation, and planetary protection needs of MSR, substantial analytical and sample management capabilities would be required in an SRF. Summary-5. Because of the long lead-time for SRF design, construction, and certification, it is important that preparations begin immediately, even if there is delay in the return of samples

Rationale and Proposed Design for a Mars Sample Return (MSR) Science Program

The Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign represents one of the most ambitious scientific endeavors ever undertaken. Analyses of the martian samples would offer unique science benefits that cannot be attained through orbital or landed missions that rely only on remote sensing and in situ measurements, respectively. As currently designed, the MSR Campaign comprises a number of scientific, technical, and programmatic bodies and relationships, captured in a series of existing and anticipated documents. Ensuring that all required scientific activities are properly designed, managed, and executed would require significant planning and coordination. Because there are multiple scientific elements that would need to be executed to achieve MSR Campaign success, it is critical to ensure that the appropriate management, oversight, planning, and resources are made available to accomplish them. This could be achieved via a formal MSR Science Management Plan (SMP). A subset of the MSR Science Planning Group 2 (MSPG2)—termed the SMP Focus Group—was tasked to develop inputs for an MSR Campaign SMP. The scope is intended to cover the interface to the Mars 2020 mission, science elements in the MSR flight program, ground-based science infrastructure, MSR science opportunities, and the MSR sample and science data management. In this report, a comprehensive MSR Science Program is proposed that comprises specific science bodies and/or activities that could be implemented to address the science functionalities throughout the MSR Campaign. The proposed structure was designed by taking into consideration previous management review processes, a set of guiding principles, and key lessons learned from previous robotic exploration and sample return missions

Science and Curation Considerations for the Design of a Mars Sample Return (MSR) Sample Receiving Facility

The most important single element of the “ground system” portion of a Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign is a facility referred to as the Sample Receiving Facility (SRF), which would need to be designed and equipped to receive the returned spacecraft, extract and open the sealed sample container, extract the samples from the sample tubes, and implement a set of evaluations and analyses of the samples. One of the main findings of the first MSR Sample Planning Group (MSPG, 2019a) states that “The scientific community, for reasons of scientific quality, cost, and timeliness, strongly prefers that as many sample-related investigations as possible be performed in PI-led laboratories outside containment.” There are many scientific and technical reasons for this preference, including the ability to utilize advanced and customized instrumentation that may be difficult to reproduce inside in a biocontained facility, and the ability to allow multiple science investigators in different labs to perform similar or complementary analyses to confirm the reproducibility and accuracy of results. It is also reasonable to assume that there will be a desire for the SRF to be as efficient and economical as possible, while still enabling the objectives of MSR to be achieved. For these reasons, MSPG concluded, and MSPG2 agrees, that the SRF should be designed to accommodate only those analytical activities that could not reasonably be done in outside laboratories because they are time- or sterilization-sensitive, are necessary for the Sample Safety Assessment Protocol (SSAP), or are necessary parts of the initial sample characterization process that would allow subsamples to be effectively allocated for investigation. All of this must be accommodated in an SRF, while preserving the scientific value of the samples through maintenance of strict environmental and contamination control standards

Interpreting polygonal terrain network arrangements on Earth and Mars using spatial point patterns

Polygonal terrain is one of the most common landforms found throughout the periglacial environments of Earth and Mars. These networks of interconnected trough-like features form through a complex interaction of climatological and rheological processes and often signify the presence of ground ice deposits.Previous comparisons of morphological similarities amongst sites on both planets have typically relied upon qualitative techniques. In some cases, limited quantitative metrics have been utilized, but there remains no objective, repeatable method by which to compare terrestrial and Martian polygonal terrain.The overarching goal of this work is to assess the utility of a particular statistical method – Spatial Point Pattern Analysis (SPPA) – for analyzing polygonal network geometries at sites on Earth and Mars. Based around four sets of experimental results, the objectives addressed by this thesis are to:(i) demonstrate that SPPA is an effective means by which qualitative, observable variations in polygonal morphology can be quantified;(ii) examine the effects of different input data collection methods on the output of the statistical model;(iii) establish that the analytical results of SPPA as applied to polygonal terrain are rooted in terrestrial geomorphic theory, and;(iv) perform a case study in which SPPA is used to reconstruct the landscape history of a particular region of Mars.Our results show that SPPA successfully differentiates between the geometric patterns observed at various sites, simultaneously providing data pertaining to the cumulative distribution of trough segment lengths and the overall network arrangement. In providing guidelines for future applications of this technique, we demonstrate that SPPA results are the most reliable when using data derived from ground-based terrain surveys or GIS-based analysis of high-resolution (< 0.5m/pixel) satellite or aerial images. Moreover, extensive fieldwork in the Canadian High Arctic illustrates that the observed point pattern of a given site is linked to its substrate composition and relative stage of development. Finally, using the field results as an analogical source to inform the interpretation of Martian geomorphic processes, a landscape evolution model is proposed to explain the development of a poorly-understood landform (scalloped depressions) in the ice-rich terrains of the Martian northern latitudes.Les formes de terrain polygonales sont parmi les plus communes dans les environnements périglaciaires sur la Terre comme sur Mars. Ces réseaux de dépressions interconnectées sont issus d'interactions complexes entre des processus climatologiques et rhéologiques et indiquent souvent la présence de dépôts de glace souterraine.Les comparaisons précédentes sur les similarités morphologiques entre des sites à la surface des deux planètes ont souvent été basées sur des techniques qualitatives. Dans certains cas, quelques mesures quantitatives ont été utilisées, mais il n'y avait aucune méthode objective qui permettait de comparer les formes de terrain polygonales terrestres et martiennes.L'objectif général de cette recherche est d'évaluer l'utilité d'une méthode statistique particulière – l'analyse de patrons spatiaux ponctuels (APSP) – pour analyser la géométrie des réseaux polygonaux sur Terre et sur Mars. À partir de quatre séries de données expérimentales, les objectifs spécifiques de cette thèse sont:(i) de démontrer que l'APSP est une méthode efficace par laquelle les variations observées de façon qualitative dans la morphologie des polygons peuvent être quantifiées;(ii) d'examiner les effets de différentes méthodes de cueillette de données à l'entrée sur les résultats du modèle statistique;(iii) d'établir que les résultats analytiques de l'APSP appliqués à un terrain polygonal ont comme fondement théorique les concepts géomorphologiques terrestres;(iv) de réaliser une étude de cas qui utilise l'APSP afin de reconstruire l'histoire du paysage dans une région spécifique de Mars.Nos résultats indiquent que l'APSP permet de différencier avec succès les patrons géométriques observés à différents sites, tout en procurant des données pertinentes sur la distribution cumulative des longueurs de segments de dépression et sur l'agencement général de ces réseaux. En fournissant des directives pour les applications futures de cette technique, nous démontrons que les résultats de l'APSP sont les plus fiables lorsque les données proviennent de relevés de terrain au sol ou d'une analyse par SIG de données satellitaires ou d'imagerie aérienne de fine résolution (≤ 0.5m/pixel). De plus, une vaste campagne de terrain réalisée dans le Haut-Arctique canadien montre que le patron ponctuel observé en un site donné est lié à la composition du substrat ainsi qu'à son stade relatif de développement. Finalement, en utilisant les résultats de terrain comme une source analogue qui nous informe sur l'interprétation des processus géomorphologiques sur Mars, un modèle d'évolution du paysage est développé pour expliquer le développement de formes de terrain peu documentées (depressions festonnées) dans les zones riches en glace des latitudes nord de Mars

The Canadian space agency planetary analogue materials suite

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) recently commissioned the development of a suite of over fifty well-characterized planetary analogue materials. These materials are terrestrial rocks and minerals that are similar to those known or suspected to occur on the lunar or martian surfaces. These include: Mars analogue sedimentary, hydrothermal, igneous and low-temperature alteration rock suites; lunar analogue basaltic and anorthositic rock suites; and a generic impactite rock suite from a variety of terrestrial impact structures. Representative thin sections of the materials have been characterized by optical microscopy and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Reflectance spectra have been collected in the ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared and mid-infrared, covering 0.2-25. μm. Thermal infrared emission spectra were collected from 5 to 50. μm. Raman spectra with 532. nm excitation, and laser-induced fluorescence spectra with 405. nm excitation were also measured. Bulk chemical analysis was carried out using X-ray fluorescence, with Fe valence determined by wet chemistry. Chemical and mineralogical data were collected using a field-portable Terra XRD-XRF instrument similar to CheMin on the MSL Curiosity rover. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) data similar to those measured by ChemCam on MSL were collected for powdered samples, cut slab surfaces, and as depth profiles into weathered surfaces where present. Three-dimensional laser camera images of rock textures were collected for selected samples.The CSA intends to make available sample powders (<45. μm and 45-1000. μm grain sizes), thin sections, and bulk rock samples, and all analytical data collected in the initial characterisation study to the broader planetary science community.Aiming to complement existing planetary analogue rock and mineral libraries, the CSA suite represents a new resource for planetary scientists and engineers. We envision many potential applications for these materials in the definition, development and testing of new analytical instruments for use in planetary missions, as well as possible calibration and ground-truthing of remote sensing data sets. These materials may also be useful as reference materials for cross-calibration between different instruments and laboratories. Comparison of the analytical data for selected

The Scientific Importance of Returning Airfall Dust as a Part of Mars Sample Return (MSR)

Dust transported in the martian atmosphere is of intrinsic scientific interest and has relevance for the planning of human missions in the future. The MSR Campaign, as currently designed, presents an important opportunity to return serendipitous, airfall dust. The tubes containing samples collected by the Perseverance rover would be placed in cache depots on the martian surface perhaps as early as 2023–24 for recovery by a subsequent mission no earlier than 2028–29, and possibly as late as 2030–31. Thus, the sample tube surfaces could passively collect dust for multiple years. This dust is deemed to be exceptionally valuable as it would inform our knowledge and understanding of Mars’ global mineralogy, surface processes, surface-atmosphere interactions, and atmospheric circulation. Preliminary calculations suggest that the total mass of such dust on a full set of tubes could be as much as 100mg and, therefore, sufficient for many types of laboratory analyses. Two planning steps would optimize our ability to take advantage of this opportunity: (1) the dust-covered sample tubes should be loaded into the Orbiting Sample container (OS) with minimal cleaning and (2) the capability to recover this dust early in the workflow within an MSR Sample Receiving Facility (SRF) would need to be established. A further opportunity to advance dust/atmospheric science using MSR, depending upon the design of the MSR Campaign elements, may lie with direct sampling and the return of airborne dust

CanMars mission Science Team operational results: implications for operations and the sample selection process for Mars Sample Return (MSR)

The CanMars Mars sample return (MSR) analogue mission was conducted as a field and operational test for the Mars 2020 sample cache rover mission and was the most realistic known MSR rover analogue mission to-date. A rover — similar in scale to that of rover planned for NASA's Mars 2020 mission — was deployed to a scientifically relevant Mars-analogue sedimentary field site with remote mission operations conducted at the University of Western Ontario, Canada; the mission aim was to inform on best practices and optimal approaches for sample acquisition modeled on the Mars 2020 rover mission. The daily operational procedures of the CanMars Science Team were modeled on those of current missions (i.e., Mars Science Laboratory tactical operations), serving as a study of known operational workflows and as a testbed for new approaches. This paper reports on the operational results of CanMars with best-practice recommendations. CanMars was designed as a Mars 2020 mock mission and thus carried similar science objectives; these included (1) advancing the understanding of the habitability potential of a subaqueous sedimentary environment through identifying, characterizing, and caching drilled samples containing high organic carbon (as a proxy for preserved ancient biosignatures) and (2) advancing the understanding of the history of water at the site. The in situ science investigations needed to address these science objectives were guided by the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group goals. Effective and efficient Science Team operational procedures were developed – and many lessons were documented – through daily tactical planning and science investigations employed to meet the sample acquisition goals. In addition to the documentation of the CanMars operational procedures, this paper provides a brief summary of the science results from CanMars with a focus on recommendations for future analogue missions and planetary sample return flight missions, providing specific value to operational procedures for the Mars 2020 rover mission

The Scientific Importance of Returning Airfall Dust as a Part of Mars Sample Return (MSR)

Dust transported in the martian atmosphere is of intrinsic scientific interest and has relevance for the planning of human missions in the future. The MSR Campaign, as currently designed, presents an important opportunity to return serendipitous, airfall dust. The tubes containing samples collected by the Perseverance rover would be placed in cache depots on the martian surface perhaps as early as 2023-24 for recovery by a subsequent mission no earlier than 2028-29, and possibly as late as 2030-31. Thus, the sample tube surfaces could passively collect dust for multiple years. This dust is deemed to be exceptionally valuable as it would inform our knowledge and understanding of Mars' global mineralogy, surface processes, surface-atmosphere interactions, and atmospheric circulation. Preliminary calculations suggest that the total mass of such dust on a full set of tubes could be as much as 100 mg and, therefore, sufficient for many types of laboratory analyses. Two planning steps would optimize our ability to take advantage of this opportunity: (1) the dust-covered sample tubes should be loaded into the Orbiting Sample container (OS) with minimal cleaning and (2) the capability to recover this dust early in the workflow within an MSR Sample Receiving Facility (SRF) would need to be established. A further opportunity to advance dust/atmospheric science using MSR, depending upon the design of the MSR Campaign elements, may lie with direct sampling and the return of airborne dust.ISSN:1531-1074ISSN:1557-807