How did I (almost) miss this one. An entire issue of Elements has the theme of sample return:
Elements, October 2025- vol. 21, #5
-, From the Editors p. 316 .21.5.316
Barnes, J. J. Davidson, J. To See a World in a Grain of Sand p. 321 .21.5.321
Udry, A. Ostwald, A. M. Usui, T. Seeing Red: Retrieving Rocks from Mars and Phobos p. 333 .21.5.333
Yabuta, H. McCoy, T. Alexander, C. M. O’D. One’s Trash is Another’s Treasure: Cosmic Rubble Piles p. 340 .21.5.340
Thompson, M. S. Jurewicz, A. Noguchi, T. Space Weathering: Clear with a Chance of Solar Wind and Micrometeoroid Showers p. 346 .21.5.346
Gerakines, P. A. Milam, S. N. Wozniakiewicz, P. J. Ice to Meet You: Sampling Cold Bodies
p. 352 .21.5.352
…well, I almost missed it because Elements is not a peer-reviewed science journal, nor truly mass-market and widely promoted. The magazine is more of a trade journal, intended for a defined but not truly focused readership.
The editors’ opener includes “These endeavors have provided unique insights into the geological and chemical histories of a wide variety of celestial bodies, including our home, Earth.”… “material to learn about the formation and evolution of planetary bodies, the Solar System, and our place in it.” Truly, we are in the Golden Age of sample return.
Have a read; in fact, the opener, Barnes Davidson, and Thompson et al. are open access. The rest are public abstracts, subscriber text.