Dear Colleague,

Past, present, and future sample scientists: You are invited to join the 2nd Annual Workshop on Potential Mars Returned Sample Science. This workshop will be held immediately before LPSC, on Sunday March 15th, 2015 in The Woodlands Conference Room at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott. We will start at 8:30am and conclude in the mid-afternoon. This workshop will be an opportunity for scientists interested in the investigation of geological samples from Mars to 1) Stay up to date on current planning related to the possibility of returning samples from Mars, and 2) Discuss current issues and questions for which broad, multi-disciplinary scientific input is needed.

The first workshop in this series (2014) focused specifically on developing inputs to NASA’s requirements related to sample quality for the M-2020 rover. The agenda this year will have a broader focus; currently planned topics include:

•              The Report from the Sample Quality workshop – a presentation of the status of the report from last year’s workshop

•              Presentation of the iMars report – a presentation of the science team’s portion of the iMars Phase II report, which includes an analysis of possible ways to manage returned martian samples on an international basis

•              Advanced curation research for MSR: Establishing context for sample preservation – a presentation from the JSC Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office the historical methods of curation and potential future advances, to be followed by a discussion of what developments in instrumentation and methodology technology need to be made to prepare for potential return of Mars samples

•              Sample Related Inputs to Landing Site Selection – a discussion of the landing site selection process and how sample science interests can help guide a decision

•              Ample time for discussion of the above, as well as any other open issues related to Mars Returned Sample Science among those scientists interested in understanding and contributing to these early considerations.

If you have additional topics that are of interest and should be scheduled for discussion, please contact Dr. Lindsay Hays ([email protected]). RSVP is not required, but would be appreciated.

Dr. David W. Beaty, Mars Program Office

Dr. Lindsay E. Hays, Mars Program Office