On the Petrological, Geochemical, and Geophysical Characterization of a Returned MARS Surface Sample and the Impact of Biological Sterilization on the Analyses

摘要

A study was conducted: to identify those experiments that could and should be done on a returned Martian sample in order to characterize its inorganic properties; to evaluate, insofar as can be done, the effects of potential biological sterilization of the sample by heating prior to its return; to identify particular analytical techniques needing further improvement in order to make optimum use of a returned sample; and to identify experiments to be done on simulants, with and without sterilization, that better define the limits of information available about the planet from analyses of returned samples. (Author)