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Group Plans to Bring Martian Sample to Earth
sm62704 (mcgrew) writes "New Scientist has a story about IMARS (the International Mars Architecture for Return Samples) planning to bring samples of Martian soil to earth. The robotic mission would be a needed precursor to manned trips to the red planet. Also, international cooperation is necessary since the US has already nixed bankrolling manned Mars missions."
as others have said the viking landers dug up samples and ran some tests on them but didn't bring them back.
The problem is that by the time you have hardened a sensor for space use, got it approved and then got it to mars it will probablly be over a decade behind the technology we have on earth and if you want to retest with better sensors you have to send a whole new mission.
By bringing the sample back here it can be studied with the latest equipment we have and we can retest as new equpiment becomes availible.
note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register