Sample Acquisition and Caching using Detachable Scoops for Mars Sample Return

Future Mars sample return missions would require technology to robotically acquire and cache multiple samples for delivery back to Earth. Anticipating the need to acquire samples and prevent cross-contamination, individual detachable scoops and caching boxes were designed for use with a rover. Four sample scoop/cache assemblies were mounted onto the back of Mars technology rover Sample Return Rover 2000 (SRR2K) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. A robotic arm on the rover was used to open and close the cache boxes. A clamping mechanism designed for the end effector of the robotic arm attached and detached individual scoops and performed the scooping for sample collection. The spring-loaded cache boxes had a labyrinth seal incorporated into the lid to provide a biobarrier from external contaminants. The sample collection and caching system was tested, along with a cleaning protocol, to ensure cleanliness of the samples for life-detection studies August 2008 in Svalbard, Nor-way during the Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE).(12)