Mission of the Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office - to support the international planetary science community through:

• Curation of current extraterrestrial sample collections

The current collections are comprised of the Apollo lunar samples, meteorites collected in Antarctica by the joint NASA/National Science Foundation/Smithsonian Institution Antarctic Search for Meteorites program, cosmic dust collected by high-altitude aircraft, and space-exposed hardware.
• Curation of samples from upcoming spacecraft missions

These missions include two that have already launched and one that is planned for launch late this year. JSC curatorial personnel are active participants in the science teams for each of these missions.
• Forward planning efforts for all funded and proposed sample return missions

A number of sample return missions are in the pre-proposal stage or on NASA's future timeline. JSC curatorial personnel are active in the planning for each of these. As new sample return missions are conceived or proposed, we will continue to offer curatorial support.
• Focused research and development in support of current and future sample curation

JSC curatorial personnel are engaged in a wide-ranging research and development program that includes robotic sample curation, advanced surface treatments, detection of trace-level organic and microbial contamination, and an unprecedented combination of cleanliness and biosafety.

Current Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Issues

• Remote Sample Collection



NASA policy requires that a portion of the lunar sample collection must be stored at a location remote from JSC. Currently 14 percent of the collection is stored at Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Within the next year the security status of these samples will change, as portions of the base are transferred to the city. We are currently initiating a project that will maintain the security of the Remote Lunar Sample Collection by moving the samples to a new remote site.

• Future Lunar Sample Laboratory Upgrade



The Lunar Sample Laboratory at JSC will be 25 years old in 2004. During that time, only routine preventive maintenance and occasional small-scale repairs have been required-a tribute to the original designers.

This year, a JSC Facilities Engineer is conducting a full infrastructure assessment of the Lunar Sample Laboratory. This assessment will form the basis for maintenance and repair activities during the next decade. At a minimum, we anticipate upgrading a portion of the air handling system, the environmental sensors and controllers, and segments of the Laboratory floor and walls. This work will be planned and carried out in such a way as to prevent a compromise of the lunar samples and to minimize inconvenience to the lunar research community.

• Security



The September 11 attacks and subsequent anthrax exposures have led to changes in the Astromaterials Laboratories and across JSC. Following an internal review, physical security in the laboratories has been increased. Procedures for shipping samples have been changed, particularly for non-US investigators. The requirements and processing time for a visitor to JSC have increased greatly so in the case of non-US citizens. In addition, the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference has been moved from JSC to the South Shore Harbour Resort & Conference Center.

We in the Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office continue our core missions-providing samples of extraterrestrial material to the international science and education communities and curating samples for future research. We welcome your comments and sample requests and look forward to the results of your research.