CAPTEM Facilities Subcommitee By Larry Nyquist NASA JSC

NASA plans to return extraterrestrial samples from several missions occurring in rapid fire succession early in the next century. The first such samples will be of the solar wind implanted into ultrapure materials (primarily silicon wafers with some diamond, Al, Au, Ge) during the Genesis Mission (PI: Don Burnett), and to be returned in August of 2003. Next in sequence will be samples of cometary dust captured in aerogel during the Stardust Mission (PI: Don Brownlee) and returned in 2006. Soon thereafter will follow Martian samples to be returned in 2008. The Curatorial Office has traditionally solicited advice from the scientific community on the best use of existing facilities, or requirements for new facilities, to meet the twin requirements of protecting the extraterrestrial samples entrusted to its care while processing them for scientific study by qualified investigators. This advice has most often come from CAPTEM and it predecessor committees. Occasionally, when facilities-related questions have been most urgent, a special facilities subcommittee has been formed, as in the case of the Facilities Subcommittee of LAPST which provided oversight during the construction of the Lunar Curatorial Facility, Building 31N.

In light of the need for long lead-time decisions concerning the facilities required for the upcoming sample return missions, CAPTEM has reconstituted a facilities subcommittee to advise the Curatorial Office on ways to best prepare for the curation of future extraterrestrial samples (especially Martian samples) while maintaining the integrity of existing sample collections. Membership of the current subcommittee consists of Larry Nyquist (Chair); Don Burnett, Dimitri Papanastassiou, Clive Neal, and Bill Parkan (Ex Officio). Larry and Dimitri served on the original LAPST committee, Don represents the Genesis Mission, Clive represents the parent committee, and Bill was the User Representative during construction of B31N, and brings invaluable engineering expertise and experience to the subcommittee. The subcommittee met for the first time July 17-18, 1998 to review plans for renovation of B31N for the Genesis Mission and to draft a charter for its activities. The report of the subcommittee, consisting of approval of the plans for renovation of B31N and detailed recommendations for their implementation, as well as a proposed charter for the subcommittee's activities, will be reviewed by CAPTEM at its November meeting.