Curation of Extraterrestrial samples in France and the future center for extraterrestrial
materials in Paris.
J. Duprat1, J.-C. Viennet1, M. Roskosz1, B. Doisneau1, S. Pont1, M. Verdier-Paoletti1, S. Bernard1, M. Gounelle1,
J. Aléon1, P. Sans-Jofre1, B. Zanda1, G. Avice2, F. Moynier2, R. Brunetto3, C. Pilorget3, F. Poulet3, C. Engrand4,
L. Delauche4, E. Dartois5, J. Gattacceca6, C. Maurel6, L. Piani7, Y. Marrocchi7, A. Barucci8, L. Bonal9,
L. Lemelle10, A. Simionovici11, G. Libourel121IMPMC, CNRS-MNHN-Sorbonne Université, UMR 7590, 57 rue Cuvier, Paris, France ; 2Université Paris Cité,
Institut de physique du globe de Paris (IPGP), CNRS, Paris, France ; 3IAS, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS,UMR 8617, Orsay, France ; 4IJCLab, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, Orsay, France ; 5ISMO,Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Orsay, France, 6CEREGE, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, INRAE, IRD, Aixen-Provence, France, 7CRPG—CNRS 15 rue Notre Dame des Pauvres, BP 2054501 Vandœuvre-lesNancy, France, 8LESIA-Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de ParisCité, 92195 Meudon Principal Cedex, France, 9IPAG, Université Grenoble Alpes; 38000 Grenoble, France,10LGL-TPE, CNRS, UCBL, ENS de Lyon, 11ISTERRE, CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes, 38058 Grenoble,France, 12Université Côte d'Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, CNRS, LAGRANGE, France.

The coming decade will witness important developments in curation facilities dedicated to pristine samples fromspace missions. The return of samples from asteroid Bennu by the OSIRIS-REx NASA-led mission [4] is imminent
and, on a longer term, samples will be returned from the Martian moon Phobos by the MMX JAXA-led mission[5]. After 2030, samples from the Martian surface are expected to be returned to Earth by the NASA/ESA Mars
Sample Return (MSR) mission [6]. Advanced curation studies are on-going [9, 10] in major curation facilities at
JAXA and NASA [7-9] while others facilities are currently into construction, such as the SAL in Berlin [see e.g.
11 and this meeting]. Many laboratories in France have experience in handling samples from spatial missions orfrom existing collections of extra-terrestrial materials (meteorites, micrometeorites, IDPs…). These experiences
cover a whole range of expertise from curation itself to dedicated samples handling (e.g. micromanipulation,fragmentation…), first-order characterization by non-invasive or non-destructive techniques and dedicated sample
preparation (e.g. thin and ultra-thin sections, polished sections, …) in clean-room environments.
The CNME project was launched in 2022 to build a national curation facility for extra-terrestrial materials atMNHN. This project is supported, at the national level, by the French spatial and scientific research agencies(CNES and CNRS) and will be supported locally by the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN), Sorbonne
University and the Institut de physique du globe de Paris (IPGP). This project will benefit from the local experiencein curation of existing collection of meteorites and micrometeorites and from expertise developed in other Frenchlaboratories. A key objective of CNME will be to ensure the long-term curation of a fraction of samples from thefuture MMX JAXA-led mission [5]. As a result of on-going agreements between JAXA and the French space
agency CNES and ESA, a fraction of Phobos (MMX) samples are expected to be transferred to the CNME at
MNHN and after the period of initial description at JAXA-ISAS sample receiving laboratory and after the firstscientific analysis by the MMX Science Sub-Teams (i.e. after 2030). In the long-term, the CNME will be designed
to allow the reception of un-restricted samples from MSR mission, i.e. once they will be out of the Sample
Receiving Facility.
The design of CNME will be modular to allow flexible configuration of different environments for the curation ofsamples from different space missions. The CNME clean-room infrastructure will be divided in separated modules(ISO7 to ISO5 [24]) environments, together with a laboratory dedicated to sample preparations. It will containsecured cabinets and glove boxes under controlled atmospheres (dry and purified N2, Ar, vacuum, …). In the longterm perspective of MSR, the CNME team is involved in the MARCUS project to study, under the supervision ofCNES, a dedicated apparatus for small sample (solid and gas) handling in clean and bio-contained (BSL4-like)environment. The CNME will include a dedicated space for rehearsal activities on the MARCUS apparatus (before
operation in BSL4-like laboratories). Instrumentation in CNME will focus on acquisition of the basic properties
on samples with sizes going from µm up to cm scales, including optical 2D and 3D microscopy and imaging,weighting, magnetic susceptibility measurements, scanning electron microscopy, XRD, Raman and infrared (IR)micro-spectroscopy with a dedicated suite of instruments, to achieve initial characterization and cataloguing ofsamples. The control of terrestrial contamination within CNME cleanrooms will be achieved by real-timemonitoring of inorganic, organic and biological contamination.
The CNME will include instruments and advanced storage facilities developed by several French laboratories. The
magnetic environment of the samples and the magnetic properties of the handling tools will be monitored to ensurepreservation of the original paleomagnetic record of the samples. The CNME will develop research programs toimprove existing curation techniques and new technological solutions for the mid to long-term curation of volatileelements contained in samples collected by future space missions, e.g. ice and gas from cometary objects orplanetary atmospheres (see G. Avice et al. this meeting). A specific setup will be developed at IAS in order toallow a multi-scale (from mm down to µm) IR reflectance micro-imaging characterization of samples. The analysis
will be fully non-destructive and non-invasive with no need for specific sample preparation, it will be performed
within a dedicated bench in a controlled atmosphere (e.g., N2). Other setups for samples preparation and/or firstorder charaterization are currently in study in French laboratories with the aim to built a national network of experts
in curation-related activities. At the international level, the CNME team will develop in-depth collaboration withother teams currently managing major curation centers in Europe and on a world-wide scale (see A. Hutzler et al
this meeting).
The CNME will ensure the long-term curation of the MNHN historical meteorite collection that include a richpanel of Martian samples (Shergottites, Chassignites, Nakhlites) [17] and several emblematic primitive chondrites(e.g. Orgueil CI-chondrite). The MNHN meteorite collection is actively used for cosmochemistry research projects
and is constantly growing with new additions every year, thanks to collections performed by a joint team fromCEREGE and MNHN in Atacama Desert (see e.g. [14]). The CNME will also have the responsibility for the longterm curation of micrometeorite collections recovered from both Greenland and Antarctica [15] including theConcordia micrometeorites collection (currently in a dedicated curation cleanroom at IJCLab) that contains
thousands of micrometeorites with minimal terrestrial weathering [16]. Beside these collections, CNME will also
ensure the long-term curation of samples from the Chinese mission Chang’e5 recently donated to France.
In this presentation, I will summarize the general landscape of curation activities in France and present the current
status of the CNME project.
Acknowledgement: The CNME is a joint project supported by MNHN, IPGP, Sorbonne University, University
Paris Cité, CNES and CNRS. The curation-related instruments and apparatus currently under development benefitfrom funding by Région Ile de France (DIM-ACAV+ contract C3E), CNES, CNRS, MNHN and ANR contract(COMETOR 18-CE31-0011). The collection of micrometeorites benefited from the pluri-annual funding by IPEVand PNRA (Program #1020)
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