International Committee Against Mars Sample Return

The "International Committee Against Mars Sample Return", or ICAMSR, is a small group of scientists who work to raise awareness of planetary protection issues involved in a Mars sample return. They have been quoted in news stories about plans for Mars Sample Return.

On their main page they say:

"Committee Against Mars Sample Return (ICAMSR) urges the scientific and environmental communities to consider avoiding the return of Martian samples directly to Earth as problems with electronic circuitry malfunctions are common as well as accidental impacts. The study of Martian soil and rocks for signs of life can be accomplished with in-situ life detection instruments on Mars, something NASA has not done since the twin Viking mission in 1976. The question must be asked: Do the benefits of studying Martian samples in laboratories on Earth outweigh the risk of contaminating our world? We only have one Earth."

The director of ICAMSR is Barry DiGregorio, author of the book "Mars: The Living Planet", a 1997 re-examination of the Viking biology results. Notable advisors include Gilbert Levin who was responsible for the Viking spacecraft biological experiments, and Chandra Wickramasinghe.

The original inspiration comes from Carl Sagan's concerns about Mars Sample Return, as described in his book the Cosmic Connection, where he wrote (in 1973):

Carl Sagan's concerns are shared by other scientists who have looked at issues of a Mars sample return, including Joshua Lederberg

The NRC and ESF studies came to the conclusion that though the potential for large-scale negative effects appears to be very low, it is not demonstrably zero. These findings on risks of environmental disruption are accepted by most participants in this debate (with the notable exception of Robert Zubrin  ). As a result, it is agreed by most researchers that a full and open public debate of the back contamination issues is needed at an international level. This is also a legal requirement.

However, the view of NASA, and ESA, is that these risks can be contained and that a sample return can be carried out safely provided the correct precautions are taken. For details see Mars Sample Receiving Facility and sample containment

The ICAMSR are of the view that, given that equipment can fail and there can be accidents, such a sample return is hard to guarantee safe to the level that would be needed when the fate of the environment of Earth itself could be at stake. They recommend searching for life in situ first, and have as their main goal, that samples are certified safe in situ or in space first before they are returned to Earth.