Posted by tourdemars to Sample Return at September 16, 2004 11:57 AM

NASA’s Genesis sample capsule not only stirred up dust and dirt when it crash landed in Utah last week, but also debate concerning the return to Earth of future extraterrestrial samples – specifically from Mars. The Genesis probe, along with the homeward bound Stardust spacecraft carrying bits of a comet and interstellar particles, serve as precursor missions to snag, bag, and lug back to Earth select pieces of Martian real estate. NASA engineers and scientists have been grappling for decades with methods, procedures, and the price tag for robotically returning Mars samples.