Astrobiology vs Geology investigations: good practices in the framework of planetary missions

The deep link between biosignature identification and geological setting is at the foundation of astrobiological investigations on Earth and should be the same for planetary exploration. In order to constrain the analogy between the potential Earth analogue and the planetary setting, an increasingly detailed sets of analyses in an increasingly detailed scale should be performed in parallel between the Earth and the interested planetary surface. Ultimately, geological investigations are critical to correctly plan remote and in situ planetary missions aimed at assessing the habitability potential of a specific planet/setting. This is even more essential if a sample return mission is expected, in order to collect THE right samples and not just stones.