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Questions tagged [sample-return]

Mission to some extraterrestrial object which results in return of materials to Earth for further examination.

3 votes
2 answers
480 views

Delta-v penalty for stopping in a distant Earth orbit versus using atmospheric reentry for braking and returning to Earth from Mars?

Comments below this answer to What precautions are planned to prevent an accident or anomaly from releasing Martians into Earth's environment? say: Seems to me like a high earth orbit lab might be a ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 149k
10 votes
3 answers
1k views

What precautions are planned to prevent samples returned from Mars crashing and releasing organisms into Earth's environment?

Bias disclaimer: I think that returning samples from Mars to Earth at a point in time where we also suspect there is a chance that there is microbial life on Mars is ill-advised and arrogant. We are ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 149k
3 votes
1 answer
127 views

Are there (detailed) images or diagrams of the rotating drill carousel and the small robotic arm which are housed in the belly of Perseverance?

The sample handling page at the Mars 2020 mission site shows us the rover with at its front a circle that probably contains the rotating drill carousel ? However it states that the belly of the rover ...
Cornelis's user avatar
  • 7,535
4 votes
1 answer
132 views

Most likely future sample return missions?

Please bear in mind I have very little space/astronomy knowledge with any comments or answers but I am curious and quite keen to learn. Aside from Mars itself as that is such a likely candidate, what ...
AndyF's user avatar
  • 495
28 votes
2 answers
6k views

Why is tantalum being used for the Hayabusa bullets?

The Hayabusa 2 probe is firing tantalum bullets at the asteroid Ryugu to knock off material that can be sampled. Why was tantalum chosen? That’s a pretty obscure element and I would assume rather rare....
Mark Foskey's user avatar
  • 11.4k
2 votes
1 answer
342 views

How exactly does this Apollo astronaut's tool work? What was it called?

The BBC News article Apollo in 50 numbers: Weights and Measures shows the following photo with the caption: The astronauts brought back more than 360kg (790lb) of Moon rocks for study on Earth (...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 149k
14 votes
1 answer
278 views

Explanation of single-burn trajectories from Lunar surface to Earth surface

I learned of the fine book Soviet Robots in the Solar System from this excellent answer. One chapter in it describes how the Soviets had extreme mass limitations on their lunar sample return vehicle ...
Organic Marble's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
1k views

How did the Luna spacecraft collect samples of the moon and containerize them for return to Earth?

The Wikipedia page Sample-return mission and this answer list Luna 16, 20 and 24 missions as each bringing back of the order of 100 grams of lunar material to Earth, but their Wikipedia pages don't ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 149k
9 votes
1 answer
385 views

Does NASA still plan for the Mars Ascent Vehicle to burn wax from the surface to orbit?

The NASA news item From Pedicures to the Peregrine Rocket, Paraffin Wax Proves Its Worth says: The paraffin-based fuel also works under challenging environmental conditions, like the very low ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 149k
3 votes
1 answer
421 views

How to achieve escape velocity from Ceres?

If I am interested in a sample return mission to Ceres using a similar propulsion technology package to Dawn, what kinds of additional propulsion would be required to land and then return? ...
Capeboom's user avatar
  • 283
5 votes
2 answers
570 views

Are rovers useful on low gravity, low atmosphere bodies?

Are rovers useful for exploring low atmosphere, low gravity objects? Are there more appropriate exploratory vehicles being proposed? If I am interested in taking geological samples from a region ...
Capeboom's user avatar
  • 283
5 votes
1 answer
317 views

Is there really moon rock in this cathedral window? If so, how, and from where on the Moon?

This Tweet by NASA Space Flight Editor Ian Atkinson says: Some pictures from the Cathedral before the event starts, they have a table set up with artifacts from Apollo 8, including the flown flight ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 149k
3 votes
2 answers
408 views

Actual mass of Hayabusa samples in 2010?

Whatever I read I find Hayavusa brought some microscopic particles. But what was the mass of the sample?
J. Doe's user avatar
  • 2,890
4 votes
1 answer
298 views

Why does NASA use Nitrogen storage for lunar regolith?

I asked this question earlier about how moon dust was regulated and got an answer stating that: Eighty-three percent of that material remains unexamined in nitrogen storage at NASA's Johnson ...
Magic Octopus Urn's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
1k views

How much total lunar mass remains viable for analysis here on Earth?

I know that samples of lunar regolith were taken on many missions to and from the moon, but I also know that these rocks aren't common and are being used for analysis purposes. According to this NASA ...
Magic Octopus Urn's user avatar

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