The NASA’s Johnson Space Center Astromaterials facilities

Abstract

Abstract The NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) includes the largest world complex of laboratories for curation and storage of samples returned from planetary bodies. The Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office has overseen the curation of NASA-held samples since 1969. In this chapter, we describe the JSC laboratories dedicated to curation of extraterrestrial materials brough back from past and current missions (Apollo, Genesis, Stardust, Hayabusa, Hayabusa 2 and OSIRIS-REx) and summarize the techniques specific of these laboratories to monitor facilites and to process samples. The JSC expertise in handling, processing and storing a variety of extraterrestrial samples has grown over the years while refining existing protocols and innovating for future challenges.