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Title: MSR Orbiter Mission (Including Mars Returned Sample Handling)
Primary Author: Phil Christensen
Institution: Arizona State University
Date: March 1, 2010
Summary: The Mars Sample Return (MSR) concept is a campaign of three missions: a sample acquisition/caching rover mission, a lander mission to fetch the cache and deliver it to Mars orbit via a rocket, and an orbiter that would capture the orbiting sample (OS) container and deliver it to Earth via an Earth entry vehicle (EEV). A fourth component is the Mars Returned Sample Handling (MRSH) element that would include a sample receiving facility (SRF) and a curation facility.
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These documents have been prepared in coordination with the National Academies of Science in support of the National Academies Planetary Science Decadal Survey. These documents are being made available for information purposes only, and any views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of NASA, JPL, or the California Institute of Technology.