A
sample return mission is a
spacecraft mission with the goal of collecting and returning with tangible samples from an location to
Earth for analysis. Sample return missions may bring back merely atoms and molecules or a deposit of complex compounds such as loose material ("soil") and rocks. These samples may be obtained in a number of ways, including a collector array used for capturing particles of
solar wind or cometary debris, soil and rock excavation, mining, and any other possible way for retrieving samples in the environment.