Legality of purloining sample return canisters from Mars

[Stranger_On_A_Train]

@ASL_v2.0

But that’s the wrong standard. Because inasmuch as no government yet has the ability to exercise jurisdiction on Mars, no private citizen has the means to “purloin” Mars samples. I see no reason to hold one side of this problem to present technological limitations, but allow the other some unmatched futuristic head start. Particularly as arranging something akin to a drone strike on Mars is probably already achievable with current technology.

This was literally the hypothetical situation posed by the o.p. If you take issue with even considering that, you need to address that objection to the o.p.

Stranger