MSR Analogue Sample Library (ASL)

The MSR Analogue Sample Library has been established via partnership between NASA and ESA. The ASL is home to a collection of analogue samples with properties relevant to lithologies in Jezero Crater that have been analyzed by the Perseverance rover, including the samples that have been collected for future return to Earth. The ASL Collection is stored and curated at the National History Museum, University of Oslo, Norway.

These samples may be requested for a range of purposes, including protocol optimization and validation, planetary protection studies, engineering tests, experiments, laboratory investigations, and to overall improve interpretation of the data collected during the Mars 2020 Mission. They may also be used in outreach activities and promotion of MSR goals. Allocation decisions are managed by the Analogue Sample Allocation Panel (ASAP).

Current Samples in the MSR Sample Catalogue include:

•    Hart Mountain, OR, USA: Holocrystalline basalt, analogue for the Màaz formation.
•    The Isle of Rum, Scotland: Olivine cumulate, analogue for the Séitah formation
•    Lambahraun, Iceland: Basaltic lithic sand, analogue for the Martian regolith sampled in delta front.
•    Ridge Basin, CA, USA: Finely laminated, carbonate bearing sandstone, analogue for the carbonate-cemented sediments of the Jezero Delta.
•    Salton Sea, CA, USA: Brittle, gypsum bearing sandstone, analogue for the gypsum-cemented sediments of the Jezero Delta.

How to Request Analogue Samples

If you would like to access samples from the ASL Collection, please first access the Sample Catalogue to identify samples suiting your needs, then submit a request to the ASL Sample Analogue Panel (ASAP) via the request form.

The following top-level priorities apply to allocation requests:

1. SRP and MSR Campaign: Needs arising within the Sample Receiving Project or Campaign Science Team(s) for research and development, testing or verification.

2. Science Community: Requests from the MSR-relevant science community for research purposes.

3. Public relations and outreach: Requests related to communicate MSR to the general public.

Requests for sample allocations will be evaluated on the basis of their scientific relevance in respect to MSR goals, feasibility, and applicability to the main objectives. The requested mass of the samples should be justified by the purpose of the proposal, for example; the analysis techniques proposed to be used. Requests for sample allocations may be submitted at any time; there are no application deadlines. For enquiries, including regarding accession of new samples, shipping, samples for outreach/education, or the availability of sample characterization data, you may contact: msr-asl@geo.uio.no