NASA Procedural Requirements

NPR 7100.5 Effective Date: August 16, 2023 Expiration Date: August 16, 2028

Subject: Curation of Astromaterials

Responsible Office: Science Mission Directorate

Chapter 2. Scope

2.1 Curation

The term “curation,” as used in this document, applies to all activities related to the preservation, conservation, cataloging/inventorying, allocation, accessioning or deaccessioning, and physical security of astromaterials collections, and other management functions associated with these activities. Curation of astromaterials collected by missions begins when samples are delivered to Earth.

2.2 Curation Facilities

A “curation facility,” as used in this document, is any environment in which curation-related activities, as defined above, take place, including temporary or mobile facilities in which mission-returned samples, including their encapsulating spacecraft-hardware, are placed to isolate them from the terrestrial environment.

2.3 Existing Collections

This NPR sets forth the basic requirements for the programmatic management, control, and operations of NASA’s institutional collections of astromaterials. The requirements set forth here apply to current institutional collections containing astromaterials.

2.4 Future Collections

The NPR sets forth the requirements for planning future astromaterials collections and the future expansion of existing collections of astromaterials.

2.5 Exclusions

This NPR does not apply to space-exposed hardware that is not directly associated with or considered to be part of an astromaterials collection. This NPR does not apply to other institutional collections defined under NPD 7100.10.

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