How NASA will bring Mars rock samples back to Earth

 

returning samples collected from the  surface of mars back to earth  has been a high priority goal for the  past few years  a random sample would have been  interesting but surveying specific areas  chosen for their high probability of  fossilized life  is positively tantalizing and could  answer all the big questions that  motivated mankind to explore mars in the  first place  but how will these rock samples be  brought back to earth  welcome to fact nominal today we're  bringing back space souvenirs  in how mars rock samples will be brought  back to earth  a collaboration of 71 scientists and the  international scientific community  came together to define specific  objectives and methods for a successful  mars sample return mission  there are criteria that need to be met  for choosing the sample  as well as critical measurements and  tests to be done once it's here on earth  these red rocks are a big deal and it's  imperative we get the right rocks that  carry all the key information needed  to maximize our understanding of mars  and whether it once hosted organic life  the plan there are three main phases to  this plan  sample collection containment and  transfer and return  transport and quarantine the mission  architecture will support three separate  launches with bespoke machines to  complete each specific task  the multi-staging approach allows  flexibility in the schedule to allow for  any unforeseen setbacks or missed  milestone dates  a successful mars sample return mission  would pave the way for developing the  landing system for the mars science  laboratory currently in development  avoiding the time and costs associated  with developing and  testing another method sample collection  phase one is well and truly underway the  perseverance is the marvel of  engineering  carrying 43 titanium tubes in its belly  that will eventually bring home  evidence about mars ancient past and if  life once teamed on its swampy surface  these sample tubes will be 100 sterile  and free from any bacteria of earthly  origin  to ensure the validity of the samples  the gizero crater site was chosen  as it's believed to have once been a  thriving delta fed by rivers  it's logical that the clay sediment  would be the best chance to look for  microbial life  that may have once flourished in its  waters  the tubes are less than 6 inches long  and will be painted white to reflect the  sun's rays  and prevent unnecessary heating of the  samples  overall 60 different dimensions were  scrutinized and if just one was off by  the thickness of a human hair  the tube was deemed to not pass quality  control  and as such not suitable to board the  flight the average thumbprint carries 45  000 nanograms of organic compounds  however only 1 300th of this volume is  considered tolerable to be contained  within each tube  for there to be no false positives in  the search for life  there has to be less than 15 nanograms  of earth-based organic compound in the  tubes  zero is preferred but almost impossible    nine cubic inches of pristine gezero  crater substrate will fill  38 of the tubes roughly equivalent to  the size of a piece of a blackboard  chalk  courtesy of a state-of-the-art coring  drill at the end of the perseverance's  robotic arm  there will be five tubes to act as  witness or controls that have been  loaded with materials  to capture molecular and particulate  contaminants  these control tubes will be opened one  at a time on mars to capture a  screenshot of the ambient environment  around primary collection sites to be  later used as a comparison to catalog  any earthly impurities in the other  samples  after collection the tubes will be laid  out by the perseverance to be collected  by a future mars mission  containment and transfer the devil's in  the details  or in this case the packaging the mars  sample return container needs to keep  the integrity of the sample  uncontaminated as well as prevent any  potentially harmful substances from  contacting the astronaut crew or  researchers here on earth  american astronomer dr carl sagan  famously said  that if we could make such a container  why not put anthrax germs inside of it  launch it into space and then return it  in the exact same way a mars return  capsule would  the container could then be taken to a  containment facility to assess how well  the planetary protection protocols  worked  it was thinly veiled sarcasm at best  nasa will instead use what they call the  orbiting sample approach  a new and as yet unnamed martian lander  will be delivered in the vicinity of the  gizero crater  where the perseverance will have been  busy collecting its core samples before  laying the canisters of cached material  out behind it  this lander will carry a nasa rocket  powered mars ascend vehicle  as well as a european space agency  designed sample fetch rover  about the same dimensions as the car  sized perseverance  this rover will be tasked with locating  and fetching all the sample containing  tubes laid out across the martian  landscape  and carry them back to the lander it's  the same concept as your favorite furry  friend  sniffing out buried bones before  bringing them back to the porch  once the mission is complete the mars  scent vehicle will carry the sample  container up away from the surface  by using its attached rocket to break  free of the martian atmosphere  from there the sample container will  detach allowing the container to orbit  the red planet  with any lock a manned or potentially  unmanned spacecraft will be ready in  orbit around mars before this happens  ready to capture and contain the sample  container before returning it back to  earth  the whole process is reminiscent of  throwing a basketball through a hoop  only this time the hoop is moving at the  same speed as the basketball to give it  a soft landing  return transport once on board the  sample container will enter a bio  containment system befitting its  unsterilized and possibly contaminated  contents  the nature of such a system is uncertain  at this point  as it's whether an unmanned probe or  longer manned mission will be the  vehicle of the sample's return to earth  the artemis lunar missions will test new  technology in the field  the success of which will directly  affect the timetable of the manned mars  mission  at this stage nasa is leaning towards an  earth return orbiter  which will be launched in tandem with  the mars return lander  the mars sample return mission is a huge  undertaking  and even though phase one is off and  running the rest of the mission is  constantly being improved and assessed  as new technologies become available  likewise the logistics for the return of  samples back to earth and the mechanics  of landing them safely through the  atmosphere  are still up in the air  quarantine and certification nasa will  start building their level 4 biohazard  containment facility  well before any martian samples are  returned to earth  the containment during transit is only  one piece of the puzzle  as the samples will need to enter strict  quarantine protocols from the moment  they are removed from the spacecraft  until the laboratory within the  containment facility receives them  there will need to be passive fail safes  in the event that the monitoring system  detects any breaches prior to entering  the earth's atmosphere  there should be plans in place to  sterilize the samples on route  should a breach occur while in earth's  atmosphere  the lab will employ a primary  containment chamber that utilizes a  negative pressure gradient to help  prevent egress of gas from the samples  and secondary containment measures such  as hepa filtered air  personal showers and wastewater  sterilization for the lab problem  from there a third set of protocols will  outline how the tubes are opened in the  lab  as well as handling of the martian  material contained inside  the sample and witness tubes eventual  return to and examination on earth  will allow the full breadth of  terrestrial science laboratory  capabilities to investigate the samples  using instruments too large and complex  to send to mars  analysis from these instruments will  determine whether samples are  sufficiently safe to be distributed to  other labs for study  if living entities or non-fossilized  parts of martian organisms are contained  in the return samples  tissue cultures and cell lines will be  manufactured for tests  whole organisms will not be used for  testing as the potential for toxic  effects  infectivity and ecological disruption to  the outside environment  is too much of a risk this laboratory  will almost certainly mimic any you've  seen in hollywood blockbusters like  species  life and the andromeda stream hazmat  suits  specimen containers with pierce-proof  gloves and a likely  wildfire type protocol in the form of an  emergency kill button  to immediately destroy the sim it's life  imitating fiction