NASA & Others Wish To Dig Mars Dirt

Plans and recommendations to launch the first Mars mission and to bring soil samples back to Earth are being developed by NASA and an international team. The returned soil samples will increase understanding of either the useful, or harmful, Martian soil properties and should also congeal information regarding the possibilities of life on Mars. The name given this task force is the International Mars Architecture for Return of Samples (IMARS), which itself is a committee of the International Mars Exploration Working Group (IMEWG). The participants include reps from more than a half dozen countries, NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Canadian Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.



Scientists have reviewed the past engineering work regarding a sample return mission from Mars, the international science priorities, and the facility requirements necessary to study the returned samples. A common strategy for the launch of a Mars sample return mission has now been established as well as how to achieve the scientific objectives that can be met only by returning the Martian soil to Earth. The next step includes more detailed international trade studies on engineering and mission specifics. Plus, sample requirements and far greater detail on the science involved is necessary, all to be address in upcoming meetings as well as the potential roles that could be played by other interested agencies and nations—Washington, DC