A detailed design, operation and assessment of technology development required for a Mars Sample Return (MSR) Sample Receiving Facility (SRF)

COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy places very stringent requirements on Sample Return missions and 'breaking the chain of contact' between Earth and the celestial body from which the sample is returned. This must be continued after return to Earth and -at the same time- any contamination or damage to the sample must be avoided. This must be maintained until such time as it can be confirmed as not presenting a biohazard and becomes available for subsequent curation and scientific investigation. Such a facility has never before been built and an investigation has been made to determine the requirements for a Mars Sample Return (MSR) Sample Receiving Facility (SRF) from first principles using a Biohazard Assessment Protocol (BAP) rather than the modification of an existing BSL-4 facility. This approach fully takes in to account cleanliness requirements to avoid sample contamination. This paper presents the results from the second, and final, part of an ESA funded study addressing the detailed requirements and detailed procedures for a MSR SRF derived from the BAP by means of a trade-off and preferred concept. These requirements and procedures were used to create a complete detailed design. The design process revealed areas of uncertainty in the detailed requirements and the risk associated with the major areas of uncertainty were reduced by means of detailed operational analysis and a Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA). Finally, from the shortfall between design performance and requirements, key European technologies that needed to be developed were identified with a broad development strategy taking in to account potential synergies with other applications at all levels.