Curiosity's First Scoopful of Mars

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Let's hope the "object" is benign if it came from the rover. As far as bringing samples back is concerned, it would not be a big jump from where we are now.

It's a bit more complex than you make it seem. Firstly you will need a rover to collect the samples, probably over a 2 year period whilst waiting for the next vehicle to arrive.

Then you need to land a second spacecraft, with pin point accuracy, close enough to the rover that the rover can deliver it's payload to the return vehicle.

The return vehicle has to launch a capsule from the Martian surface onto a course which will return that capsule to the Earth.

A Mars sample return mission is considerably more complex than any mission carried out so far. Both NASA and ESA are working on such missions. NASA is looking to launch a mission some time after 2018, ESA is aiming for 2022, but with current budgetary constraints there is every chance this could be pushed back further.