Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis (ANGSA): A segue to the next era of lunar exploration and sample return activities

Abstract:

In the fifty years since the first lunar samples were collected on Apollo 11, significant advancements have taken place in laboratory analysis, planetary science, and astromaterials curation. These advances are now being leveraged for the Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis (ANGSA) Program, which aims to study specially curated Apollo samples that have never been studied before. Since Apollo 17 in 1972, a great deal has been learned about the Moon, including the unique environments of the poles. Building upon Apollo and remote sensing studies since then, the Artemis Program aims to explore the cold environments near the lunar south pole while achieving the concurrent goals of landing the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. Recent developments for ANGSA have significantly accelerated our readiness for Artemis sample return, particularly in the area of cold sample studies.

Four science teams were selected to study cold and/or volatile-bearing samples collected during the Apollo program. These samples have special storage and handling requirements that necessitate their processing in a -20°C environment that meets the Apollo materials and cleanliness requirements. NASA has recently undertaken the development and implementation of a cold sample processing facility to support ANGSA. A similar facility will be needed to process the cold, volatile-bearing samples planned to be returned by Artemis missions; therefore, ANGSA provides excellent preparation for Artemis’ future cold sample processing efforts.

We will outline the goals of the ANGSA and Artemis programs, illustrating the complementary nature of the work for both. We will describe the efforts to date in designing, testing, and implementing a cold curation facility that meets the requirements of ANGSA and Apollo curation. We will then outline future work for that facility to reach operational readiness. Finally, we will present the sample collection and curation strategies for Artemis, showing how they overlap and build on ANGSA efforts. The development of cold curation at NASA represents a significant leap in the knowledge, experience, and technologies used in astromaterials curation, opening the door for new investigations of lunar volatiles, impacts, formation processes, prebiotic chemistry, and resource utilization, among many others.