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NASA's 50 Years of Preserving Pristine Samples from the Solar

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NASA's 50 Years of Preserving Pristine Samples from the Solar The Rise of Astromaterials Curation: NASA’s 50 Years of Preserving Pristine Samples from the Solar System Michael J. Calaway1, Judith H. Allton2, Francis M. McCubbin2 and Ryan A. Zeigler2 1 Jacobs, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX; [email protected] 2 NASA, NASA Johnson Space Center, Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office, Houston, TX NASA JSC Bldg. 31 & 31N Our Past 52 years . Our Future . Lunar Meteorites Cosmic Dust Microparticle Genesis Stardust Hayabusa Hayabusa2 OSIRIS-REx Mars Sample (est. 1969) (est. 1977) (est. 1981) Impact (est. 2004) (est. 2006) (est. 2012) (Dec. 2020) (Sept. 2023) Return (est. 1985) (~ 2030s) Apollo program lunar Antarctic Search for Cosmic dust grains Genesis mission Stardust mission Subset of samples Subset of samples Asteroid sample return rocks and soils and a Meteorites collected in the Earth’s Space exposed collected solar wind collected cometrary collected from JAXA collected from JAXA from 101955 Bennu Over 50 years in subset of Soviet Union (ANSMET) program stratosphere from high hardware from science samples at Earth-Sun and interstellar asteroid mission to asteroid mission to mission planning Luna program lunar altitude aircraft missions L1 point samples at Comet Itokawa 162173 Ryugu (est. 1964) material (est. 1971) Wild 2 Future Solar System Missions (HEOMD & SMD) Planets, Moons, Asteroids, Comets, etc. The Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) is a legacy of the Apollo program and set forth the modern era of curating pristine astromaterials from the solar system. For over 50 years, JSC Curation has honed its modern craft of curating astromaterials from other worlds forged by the Apollo program and 20th century technology. For the first time in history, the Apollo program was * Acting able to secure pristine extraterrestrial (lunar) samples and preserve the scientific integrity of each sample for future generations. The roots of the † Manager Apollo program are entrenched in every past and future sample return mission. Fundamental techniques and methodologies for processing and ‡ Deputy Manager preserving samples were first developed for Apollo and are still used today along with the integration of new state-of-the-art technologies. This is prevalent in the use of cleanrooms, inert environment gloveboxes and isolation chambers that maintain a high degree of cleanliness to mitigate Dr. Cynthia A. Evans † ‡ Curation terrestrial cross-contamination. The use of sample handling equipment and construction materials with low to zero particulate shedding and Lunar Sample Analysis Planning Team (LSAPT) in 1973 2014 to 2016 Managers outgassing mechanical properties and exposing samples to as few materials as possible to minimize potential trace contamination was first orchestrated under Apollo and continues today. This poster is a very brief historical overview of these world-renowned astromaterial collections and Dr. Carl Agee † Dr. Carl Allen † Dr. Francis McCubbin Astromaterials a tribute to its past curation leadership and hundreds of support contractors that have been the custodians of these U.S. Limited Natural Resources for 1998 – 2000 2000 to 2015 2015 to Present Curators the last 50 years. Lunar Sample Analysis Planning Team Lunar and Planetary Sample Team Curation and Analysis Planning Team for NASA JSC Curation Analysis Committee (LSAPT) 1967 – 1978 (LAPST) 1978 – 1993 Website Extraterrestrial Materials (CAPTEM) 1994 to present CAPTEM 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 Dr. Ryan Zeigler † ‡ LRL Planning Dr. Elbert A. King † Dr. Michael Duke † Dr. Douglas Blanchard † Dr. John W. Dietrich † Dr. James L. Gooding † Dr. Gary Lofgren 2012 – Present 1964 – 1966 1968 – 1969 1970 – 1977 1981 - 1988 1988 – 1991 1991 – 1997 Dec. 1998 – 2012 Manager: 2016 – Present LRL Construction Dr. Daniel Anderson* Dr. Patrick Butler, Jr. † Dr. Charles Meyer* Apollo Lunar 1966 – 1967 1969-1970 1978 – 1981 1997 – 1998 Curators First Apollo Samples Last Apollo Samples Dr. Michael Duke* Dr. Donald Bogard Dr. James L. Gooding Dr. Marilyn Lindstrom Dr. DavidBogard Mittlefehldt Dr. Carl Allen* Dr. Kevin Righter ‡ Meteorite 1969 LRL Closed 1972 1977 1978 – 1984 1984 – 1986 1987 - 2000 2000 – 2001 2001 to 2002 2002 to Present Curators Brooks Remote Storage Dr. Uel Clanton Dr. James L. Gooding Dr. Michael Zolensky Dr. Marc Fries Cosmic Dust 1975 - 2002 1981 1981 – 1985 1985 to Present 2017 to Present Curator Dr. Elbert A. King; Processing Apollo 11 Contingency Sample July 27-29, 1969 B31N Lunar Curation Dr. Michael Zolensky Microparticle Impact Lunar Curation 1979 – Present 1985 to Present Curator Future and Advanced Curation: JSC Curation is currently constructing new Genesis Spacecraft Assembly at JSC Stardust Curation Genesis Assembly Lab Dr. Karen McNamara Judith H. Allton Genesis collection cleanroom facilities for the Hayabusa2 Planetary Protection Collaboration 1998 – 2001 2001 to 2005 2005 to Present Curators and OSIRIS-REx missions returning asteroidal material to Earth in 2020 and 2023 respectively. JSC WSTF Remote Storage Dr. Michael Zolensky Stardust Mars 2020 Biological Curation is also collecting contamination knowledge Contamination Knowledge 2002 – Present 2006 to Present Curator Genesis Sample Decontamination Cosmic Dust samples from the Mars 2020 mission intended to be Curation OSIRIS-REx Launch at KSC ANSMET Meteorite Collection in Antarctica the first leg of a Mars Sample Return campaign. In Genesis Curation GeoLab in Deep Space Habitat Astronaut Training Dr. Michael Zolensky Hayabusa addition, advanced curation efforts are expanding to 2012 to Present Curator enable future sample return missions that will require preservation and processing of frozen material, robotic and micro sample handling, and Spacecraft Precision Cleaning Genesis Curation Genesis SRC Practice & Contamination Control further reduction of terrestrial organic and biological WB-57 Cosmic Dust Capture Parafoil Capture in Utah contamination. Today, JSC Curation is posed to write the continuing chapters in astromaterials curation for the next 50 years while continuing to Stardust SRC Landing, Utah Stardust Curation Lunar Curation build upon the legacy of Apollo. ANSMET Meteorite Collection in Antarctica.
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