The Extraterrestrial Materials Academy (ETMA) is scheduled for June 8–August 15, 2026, at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) in Houston, Texas, in partnership with the University of Houston–Clear Lake […]
Planetary Protection & Biosafety
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Mars Sample Return Sample Receiving Project Measurement Definition Team Final Report
The joint ESA-NASA Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign is slated to be one of the most ambitious undertakings in the history of planetary exploration in that analyses in terrestrial laboratories […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Sample Science Traceability Matrix for Perseverance’s Mars Sample Return Collection
The Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign aims to retrieve a set of carefully selected and documented samples collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover in and around Jezero Crater on Mars and […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
The Abiotic Background as a Central Component of a Sample Safety Assessment Protocol for Sample Return
Martian rock and regolith samples are being collected and cached by NASA’s Perseverance rover, with the goal of returning them to Earth as soon as the mid-2030s.
Posted inExploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
COSPAR Sample Safety Assessment Framework (SSAF)
The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Sample Safety Assessment Framework (SSAF) has been developed by a COSPAR appointed Working Group.
Posted inAstrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Mars Sample Return (MSR) Sample Receiving Facility (SRF) Assessment Study (MSAS)
The Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign, initiated in 2020 with the launch of the Perseverance Rover, is an international partnership between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) to return […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Status Report
Plasmidome, Resistome, and Virulence-associated Genes Characterization of Acinetobacter Johnsonii in NASA Cleanrooms and a Clinical Setting
Evidence shows persistence of non-spore-forming Acinetobacter johnsonii in high-stakes controlled and nutrient-limited environments.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Panspermia, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Radiation, Sample Return, Status Report
Endospore Integrity And Viability Of Bacillus subtilis On Simulated Martian Regolith In Rotational UVC Radiation Exposures
Current understanding of Martian regolith has advanced due to various rover explorations. Due to this, there are now several variants of Martian regolith that are chemically known and commercially available.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report
Preliminary Planning For Mars Sample Return (MSR) Curation Activities in a Sample Receiving Facility (SRF)
The Mars Sample Return Planning Group 2 (MSPG2) was tasked with identifying the steps that encompass all the curation activities that would happen within the MSR Sample Receiving Facility (SRF) […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report
Planning Considerations Related to Contamination Control for the Return and Analysis of Martian Samples
The joint National Aeronautics and Space Administration and European Space Agency Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign is a proposed multi-mission effort to bring selected geological samples from Mars to Earth […]