An Internationally Coordinated Science Management Plan for Samples Returned from Mars

Abstract:

Mars Sample Return (MSR) remains a high priority of the planetary exploration community. Such an effort will undoubtedly be too large for any individual agency to conduct itself, and thus will require extensive global cooperation. To help prepare for an eventual MSR campaign, the International Mars Exploration Working Group (IMEWG) chartered the international Mars Architecture for the Return of Samples (iMARS) Phase II working group in 2014, consisting of representatives from 17 countries and agencies. The overarching task of the team was to provide recommendations for progressing towards campaign implementation, including a proposed science management plan.

Building upon the iMARS Phase I (2008) outcomes, the Phase II team proposed the development of an International MSR Science Institute as part of the campaign governance, centering its deliberations around four themes:

• Organization: including an organizational structure for the Institute that outlines roles and responsibilities of key members and describes sample return facility requirements;
• Management: presenting issues surrounding scientific leadership, defining guidelines and assumptions for Institute membership, and proposing a possible funding model;
• Operations & Data: outlining a science implementation plan that details the preliminary sample examination flow, sample allocation process, and data policies; and
• Curation: introducing a sample curation plan that comprises sample tracking and routing procedures, sample sterilization considerations, and long-term archiving recommendations.

This work presents a summary of the group’s activities, findings, and recommendations, highlighting the role of international coordination in managing the returned samples.