Sample Collection for Investigation of Mars
Concept for a Mars air and dust sample return / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Sample Collection for Investigation of Mars (SCIM) is a mission concept for a Mars air and dust sample return. It was a semi-finalist at the Mars Scout Program along with four other missions in December 2002.[2][3] The SCIM mission would be designed to skim through the Mars atmosphere without landing or entering orbit.[1] It would collect samples in an aerogel and take them back to Earth on a free-return trajectory.[4]
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Scim_br.jpg)
![the landing capsule as seen on the ground at the Utah Test and Training range](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Stardust_Capsule_on_Ground.jpg/640px-Stardust_Capsule_on_Ground.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Aerogel_hand.jpg/640px-Aerogel_hand.jpg)
The success of fellow Discovery program mission Stardust was noted as supporting future sample return missions, and in particular supporting the SCIM concept.[1] This Stardust mission was similar in that it returned extraterrestrial material to Earth with an unmanned robotic spacecraft.[1]