Sample return missions allow us to not only hold pieces of distant worlds in the palms of our hands, but also to probe the origins of the Solar System and our own existence. In the last six decades, precious samples—astromaterials—have been retrieved directly from the Moon, asteroids, a comet’s tail, and even solar wind. These endeavors have provided unique insights into the geological and chemical histories of a wide variety of celestial bodies, including our home, Earth. In the next decade, humanity will return to the Moon for the first time this century and set its collective sight farther afield to collect samples from Mars and its moon Phobos. Beyond that lies the frontier of sample return—icy bodies—a global endeavor that will require the development of advanced technologies and international partnerships to return astromaterials from the outer reaches of our Solar System. We are living through the golden era of sample return missions; this issue of Elements demonstrates the power of miner­alogical, petrological, and geochemical studies of oftentimes small amounts of material to learn about the formation and evolution of planetary bodies, the Solar System, and our place in it.

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