  The goal of Project GAUSS is to return samples from the dwarf planet Ceres.
Ceres is the most accessible ocean world candidate and the largest reservoir of
water in the inner solar system. It shows active cryovolcanism and hydrothermal
activities in recent history that resulted in minerals not found in any other
planets to date except for Earth's upper crust. The possible occurrence of
recent subsurface ocean on Ceres and the complex geochemistry suggest possible
past habitability and even the potential for ongoing habitability. Aiming to
answer a broad spectrum of questions about the origin and evolution of Ceres
and its potential habitability, GAUSS will return samples from this possible
ocean world for the first time. The project will address the following
top-level scientific questions: 1) What is the origin of Ceres and the origin
and transfer of water and other volatiles in the inner solar system? 2) What
are the physical properties and internal structure of Ceres? What do they tell
us about the evolutionary and aqueous alteration history of icy dwarf planets?
3) What are the astrobiological implications of Ceres? Was it habitable in the
past and is it still today? 4) What are the mineralogical connections between
Ceres and our current collections of primitive meteorites? GAUSS will first
perform a high-resolution global remote sensing investigation, characterizing
the geophysical and geochemical properties of Ceres. Candidate sampling sites
will then be identified, and observation campaigns will be run for an in-depth
assessment of the candidate sites. Once the sampling site is selected, a lander
will be deployed on the surface to collect samples and return them to Earth in
cryogenic conditions that preserves the volatile and organic composition as
well as the original physical status as much as possible.
