Mars Sample Return a robust mission approach for "getting the right sample"

The Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission plans to collect a set of soil samples from the Martian surface and return them to Earth for detailed analysis. The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory funded a series of industry led studies in 2001 to investigate the alternatives for the MSR mission. The results of this and previous studies indicate that a Mars sample return mission is feasible with available technologies. The Ball MSR study focused on several key objectives to provide a solid framework for the mission including: (1) a strong emphasis on science and "getting the right sample"; (2) a robust mission architecture to provide greater reliability and to reduce risk; (3) isotope powered autonomous rovers to support ambitious science objectives; (4) enhanced landing systems to improve landing accuracy and to provide direct access to the areas of highest scientific interest; (5) a quarantine of the returned sample in Earth orbit and retrieval by a separate mission with a containment vault to prevent inadvertent release of the sample into the Earth's biosphere.