Sample return and the Canadian Space Agency:
Ongoing activities and avenues for international collaboration
Tim Haltigin 11
Canadian Space Agency, 6767 route de l’Aéroport, St. Hubert, QC, Canada J3Y 8Y9, timothy.haltigin@canada.ca
Canadian Planetary Exploration Overview: Broadly, the Canadian Space Agency’s (CSA) planetary exploration
program consists of participating in ongoing missions and conducting preparatory activities for missions yet to come. CSA’s
science goals are developed in conjunction with the Canadian academic community, and follow two general themes: (i)understanding the origin and evolution of planetary bodies within the solar system, and (ii) habitability and life detection. As
these goals are squarely aligned with a variety of current and future sample return efforts, CSA – in collaboration with its
international partners – has become increasingly involved in sample return mission operations and planning.
OSIRIS-REx: CSA’s first formal participation on a sample
return effort is with the NASA-led Origins Spectral Interpretation
Resource Identification Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission.
OSIRIS-REx aims to return at least 60g of material from asteroidBennu, a primitive carbon-rich B-type asteroid believed to containorganic materials [1]. Canada’s hardware contribution to the missionis the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter (OLA) instrument (Fig. 1), built
by MDA Corporation and led by Principal Investigator Dr. Mike Dalyof York University. OLA is a scanning lidar that will provide highresolution 3D topographic information about the asteroid, helping
Figure 1: The OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter
provide geologic context for the spacecraft’s spectral instruments and(Image credit: NASA / Goddard / Debora McCallum)
aiding selection of a site where samples can be collected safely [2].
In return for its contribution of OLA and support of a number of mission Science Team members, Canada will receive
4% of the returned sample. A Canadian OSIRIS-REx Sample Advisory Committee is being targeted to assist in evaluating theappropriate curation partner and to review the proposed Curation Plan. This committee would seek input from international
partners who have heritage in astromaterial curation. Upon successful return of the samples, Canada also aims to maximize thescientific use of its sample allocation, and would thus welcome discussions on potential sample access opportunities withinterested parties.
Mars Sample Return – Mission Architecture and Science Management: Mars Sample Return (MSR) remains oneof the highest priorities of the international planetary science community. Because MSR is likely too large an endeavor to betaken on by any individual country or space agency, international cooperation will be paramount to reaching this goal
successfully. Several agencies throughout the world are evaluating possible contributions to this multi-mission endeavor, withcoordination efforts discussed through the International Mars Exploration Working Group (IMEWG).
In 2014, IMEWG tasked the international Mars Architecture for the Return of Samples (iMARS) working group todefine a mission architecture that could successfully achieve MSR and to outline a science management plan for the returned
samples. Canada played a lead role in this effort, co-chairing both the science and engineering sub-teams. Over two years, theworking group developed an extensive set of findings and recommendations, some of which have already been implemented.
A summary presentation was presented at the Mars Exploration Payload Analysis Group (MEPAG) meeting in 2016 [3], withthe full report expected to be published in fall of 2017.
Mars Sample Return – Caching and Retrieval: One of the key findings from the iMARS team was that a minimumof three flight missions would be required to achieve MSR: (i) sample collection and caching; (ii) sample retrieval, and; (iii)
Earth return. A number of open scientific, technical, and operation questions remain open regarding the execution of thesurface elements, (i) and (ii). With international cooperation coordinated via IMEWG, Canada led robotic field deployments
near Hanksville, Utah (USA) to start answering some of these questions (Fig. 2).
Science operations for the sample cache mission were conducted over four weeks spanning 2015 and 2016. Themission team conducted operations using a combination of rover-integrated sensors and hand-held instruments, successfully
capturing eight scientifically-selected samples and developing an environmental reconstruction of the “landing site”.
Additionally, a two week deployment in 2016 utilized the rover in its sample retrieval configuration, demonstrating
successfully the adaptive caching approach currently preferred by the Mars 2020 mission [4]. These efforts have advanced
international readiness for an eventual MSR campaign and paved the way for future deployments to further reduce risk.

Figure 2: Sample collection and retrieval configurations of CSA’s Mars Exploration Science Rover (MESR) prototype (Image Credit: CSA)

Science Opportunities for the Future: As human presence expands through the solar system, the Canadian planetary science
community is also interested in evaluating new opportunities for science enabled by human exploration of the Moon and Mars.
In addition to developing potential rover concepts, CSA is conducting science definition work in support of a Human Lunar
Exploration Precursor Program lunar sample return mission. With its international partners, terrestrial field demonstrations areanticipated in the coming years.
Moreover, a number of open competitions are seeking proposals for sample return missions from various destinationsin the solar system. Although Canadian hardware contributions to these campaigns are not currently anticipated, in many cases
Canadian scientists have been sought to provide expertise in a key mission roles. Depending on the outcome of thecompetitions, it is possible that science support will be enabled by CSA through a competitive co-investigator program.
References: [1] Lauretta D.S. et al. 2015. Meteoritics & Planetary Science 50:834. [2] Lauretta D.S. 2015. In Peltonand Allahdadi (eds). Handbook of Cosmic Hazards and Planetary Defense:544. [3] https://mepag.jpl.nasa.gov/meeting/201603/13_iMARS-FinalPresentation_MEPAG_2016-03-02_FINAL.pdf[4] http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/rovers/analoguemsrad.asp