The first samples taken from Mars and sent to Earth will come from Jezero Crater, where the Perseverance rover explored the crater floor and nearby ancient delta.
The location of an early sample cache, called Three Forks, is flat and free of obstacles – an ideal location for Mars Sample Return landing and pickup operations.
The Mars Sample Return campaign is made up of several missions to bring the first scientifically selected samples to the surface of another planet. The first stage of the campaign is already underway – since Perseverance landed at Jezero Crater in 2021, the rover has explored more than 13 kilometers and collected 14 samples with rock cores and Martian air.
The plan is to drop off 10 sample tubes at Three Forks.
A road trip to Three Forks on Mars (Larger image)
“Never before has a scientifically curated collection of samples from another planet been collected and placed to be returned to Earth,” says Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator for science.
“NASA and ESA have reviewed the proposed site and Mars samples that will be deployed for this cache starting next month. When this first tube is positioned on the surface, it will be a historic moment in space exploration,” Thomas adds.
The two agencies have approved plans to begin establishing a Mars surface sample repository and complete the operation by early 2023.
“Choosing the first deposit on Mars makes this exploration campaign very real and tangible. Now we have a place to revisit with samples waiting for us there,” says David Parker, director of human and robotic exploration at ESA.
“The fact that we can implement this plan at the start of the mission is a testament to the skill of the international team of engineers and scientists working for the Mars Sample Return campaign,” he adds.
Earth Return Orbiter infographic (larger image)
New projects for the future
Europe is exploring Mars hand in hand with NASA. The next steps to return samples from Mars to Earth in 2033 were agreed in July after a review of the campaign by an independent committee.
On October 19, the space agencies approved the project to place the first cache of samples on the surface.
A reconfiguration of the campaign now includes two sample recovery helicopters instead of an additional rover. A recent assessment of Perseverance’s reliability and life expectancy has bolstered confidence that the rover will be able to deliver samples to NASA’s Sample Retrieval Lander in 2030.
Until the first repository is established, Perseverance collects two samples of each Martian rock – one to be left on the surface as part of a sample repository, and a second which is kept in the belly of the rover to be directly transferred to the sample retrieval lander.
ESA will provide robotic assistance with the sample transfer arm. The 2.5m robotic arm will retrieve the tubes filled with precious material from Mars and transfer them to a rocket for launch into Mars orbit.
In the event that Perseverance is unable to deliver the sample tubes to ESA’s robotic arm in 2030, two small helicopters deployed by the lander will pick them up.
“The first Martian sample deposit can be seen as a major risk mitigation step for the Mars Sample Return campaign,” David points out.
The European Earth Return Orbiter will then be the first interplanetary spacecraft to capture samples in orbit and to perform a round trip between Earth and Mars.
Mars 1-14 sample collection card
Martian diversity
European scientists are part of an international team advising on which samples to choose for return and the best analysis methods to use once they land on Earth.
The scientific community has concluded that the igneous rocks and sedimentary rocks found so far provide a scientifically compelling argument for returning the samples.
Scientists are very excited about the diversity of the sample collection and the complexity of the individual samples. “Bringing these samples to our labs would allow us to achieve a scientific breakthrough and understand the specific area of Jezero,” says Gerhard Kminek, Mars Sample Return Principal Scientist for ESA.
“We could also learn more about the environmental conditions on Mars at a time when life appeared on Earth, and possibly on the Red Planet,” adds Gerhard.
The Perseverance rover’s work is far from done after its first cache sample. Then, Perseverance will head to the top of the delta to collect many more rock and dust samples from Mars as it climbs through the delta over the coming year.
The Mars Sample Return campaign will revolutionize our understanding of Mars by returning samples for study by the best scientific teams using the most sophisticated instruments in the world.
This strategic partnership with NASA will be the first to return samples from another planet. The return samples are seen as the best opportunity to reveal Mars’ early evolution, including the potential for life.
Astrobiology
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