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Recommended Maximum Temperature For Mars Returned SamplesThe Returned Sample Science Board (RSSB) was established in 2015 by NASA to provide expertise from the planetary sample community to the Mars 2020 Project. The RSSB's first task was to address the effect of heating during acquisition and storage of samples on scientific investigations that could be expected to be conducted if the samples are returned to Earth. Sample heating may cause changes that could ad-versely affect scientific investigations. Previous studies of temperature requirements for returned mar-tian samples fall within a wide range (-73 to 50 degrees Centigrade) and, for mission concepts that have a life detection component, the recommended threshold was less than or equal to -20 degrees Centigrade. The RSSB was asked by the Mars 2020 project to determine whether or not a temperature requirement was needed within the range of 30 to 70 degrees Centigrade. There are eight expected temperature regimes to which the samples could be exposed, from the moment that they are drilled until they are placed into a temperature-controlled environment on Earth. Two of those - heating during sample acquisition (drilling) and heating while cached on the Martian surface - potentially subject samples to the highest temperatures. The RSSB focused on the upper temperature limit that Mars samples should be allowed to reach. We considered 11 scientific investigations where thermal excursions may have an adverse effect on the science outcome. Those are: (T-1) organic geochemistry, (T-2) stable isotope geochemistry, (T-3) prevention of mineral hydration/dehydration and phase transformation, (T-4) retention of water, (T-5) characterization of amorphous materials, (T-6) putative Martian organisms, (T-7) oxidation/reduction reactions, (T-8) (sup 4) He thermochronometry, (T-9) radiometric dating using fission, cosmic-ray or solar-flare tracks, (T-10) analyses of trapped gasses, and (T-11) magnetic studies.
Document ID
20160003502
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Beaty, D. W. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
McSween, H. Y. (Tennessee Univ. Knoxville, TN, United States)
Czaja, A. D. (Cincinnati Univ. OH, United States)
Goreva, Y. S. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Hausrath, E. (Nevada Univ. Las Vegas, NV, United States)
Herd, C. D. K. (Alberta Univ. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
Humayun, M. (Florida State Univ. Tallahassee, FL, United States)
McCubbin, F. M. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
McLennan, S. M. (State Univ. of New York Stony Brook, NY, United States)
Hays, L. E. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
March 16, 2016
Publication Date
March 21, 2016
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
JSC-CN-35316
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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