ANGSA. A New Mission to the Taurus Littrow Valley

Abstract The Artemis Program will return a variety of lunar samples from regions of the Moon that are thus far unexplored by human surface activities. Are we ready? As a first step in preparing for Artemis, NASA initiated the Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis (ANGSA) program that involved the study of a unique suite of samples returned by the Apollo 17 mission to the Taurus Littrow Valley but never opened. These samples included a core sample sealed on the surface of the Moon and samples stored, curated, and studied under cold conditions. Analyses of these samples were conducted by an international team of scientists and engineers within the framework of a new human sample return mission to the TLV. This mission integrated boots‐on‐the‐ground observations by Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt, orbital data from recent missions, preliminary examination utilizing both established and innovative approaches, and sample analyses using a variety of proven and advanced technologies. ANGSA accomplished many firsts in lunar exploration, science, and curation. For example, the ANGSA initiative opened the first sealed Core Sample Vacuum Container; conducted the first examination of a core penetrating a landslide deposit; completed the first experiment to sample endogenous gases released from the Moon's interior (via the Lee‐Lincoln scarp); examined the water content of terrestrial uncontaminated lunar regolith; and cold‐curated and cold‐processed Apollo samples for almost 50 years. The manuscripts in this special issue highlight these and other observations and resulting discoveries.