Mars: Sources of Data from the Robotic Missions III

C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB

Geography 494-01

Dr. Christine M. Rodrigue

Mars: Data from Robotic Missions

NASA Spirit and Opportunity Rovers 2004-present Spirit in Gusev Crater

NASA Spirit and Opportunity Rovers 2004-present Opportunity in Meridiani Planum

NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity instrumentation

Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Microscopic Imager (MI) Engineering Navigation Cameras (Navcam) Engineering Hazard Avoidance Cameras (Hazcam) Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) Mössbauer Spectrometer (MB) Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) Magnet Arrays

Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Stereoscopic CCD cameras (charge-coupled devices, like

digital cameras, not TV cameras) 4,000 x 24,000 pixel resolution 8 filters per camera, each camera filtering a somewhat different

array of wavelength bands, so 11 bands all together Parallax and depth perception Used to scan horizon and landscape for interesting features for

the rover to explore Properly filtered, they can be pointed at the sun to get absolute

bearing for navigation and mapping purposes

Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Spirit true color image: layers in Gusev

Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Opportunity false color image: blueberries in Meridiani

Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Opportunity true color panorama mosaic: 8 m Fram Crater

Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Spirit true color 9 image 120 panorama: Columbia Hills

Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Spirit 360 panorama (true and false color):

Columbia Hills, from part way down Husband Hill (behind rover, which shows as far right and left) and facing toward McCool Hill

405 images are mosaicked together to form this 360 panorama

Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Opportunity anaglyph of Cape Verde layers in Victoria Crater (where

the MRO caught the rover and its tracks, which you saw last week) The two images from the Pancam are tinted red and blue and then

superimposed in one image You wear red/blue glasses, and your brain is tricked into seeing 3-d

depth in a 2-d image

Microscopic Imager (MI) Microscope and CCD combination 1024 x 1024 resolution Single broad-band filter from 0.40 – 0.68 microns (b/w) Mounted on Instrument Deployment Device or the robot

arm on which the Rock Abrasion Tool is deployed for grinding into rocks

NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity

instrumentation Microscopic Imager (MI)

Opportunity close up of concretions/ layers: source of blueberries

NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity

instrumentation Rock Abrasion Tool

RAT grinds a hole about 5 mm deep and 45 mm in diameter

Exposes subsurface minerals in a rock that haven’t been altered by surface processes

Opportunity MI close up anaglyph of RAT hole

Spectroscopy Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) Mössbauer Spectrometer (MB) Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS)

Spectroscopy Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES)

Collects IR spectra emitted by rocks, soils, landscape features, and the atmosphere

These are converted to temperature readings They also can differentiate minerals

Mössbauer Spectrometer (MB) Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS)

Mars: Data from Robotic Missions Opportunity

Mini-TES Temperatures in Endurance Crater taken by Opportunity

Blue is ~220K (-53C or -64F) Red is ~280K (7C or 44F)

Mini-TES Each pixel’s spectra broken out as an X-Y graph can identify minerals

How Mini-TES “sees” its targets Sample spectra broken out and identified

Mini-TES Mini-TES pointed skyward collects atmospheric temperature data

Daily readings over time from late summer to mid winter (sun longitude, with 74 corresponding to perihelion)

Colors correspond to time of day (purple is early morning, green is midday, red is late afternoon)

Spectroscopy Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) Mössbauer Spectrometer (MB)

Measures Rutherford backscattering (180 back-at-you scattering) of gamma rays (extremely short-wave and energetic)

Particularly sensitive to iron in minerals and can differentiate different species of iron-bearing minerals

Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS)

Mössbauer spectra for “Bounce Rock” Rock by landing site in Eagle Crater – possibly broken by impact

Spectroscopy Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) Mössbauer Spectrometer (MB) Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS)

Alpha particles generated by curium-244 smack atomic nuclei: heavier elements will tend to reflect and lighter elements will tend to absorb them

Protons are generated by the lighter nuclei that absorb alpha particles: great for identifying several elements common in rocks (sodium, magnesium, silicon, aluminium, and sulphur)

X-ray fluorescence measures photons emitted when electrons booted out of lower orbitals and outer electrons move inward to replace them: Photon count by energy level identifies which element has fluoresced and how many orbitals an electron has moved down

Mars: Sources of Data from the Robotic Missions III

Documents

Missions to Mars Julie A. Rathbun Lowell Observatory

Mars Landing Sites - CRISM Web Sitecrism.jhuapl.edu/education/DataTeams/docs/MESDT_landing_site_part1.pdfTypes of Mars Missions Orbital Missions ... of mission and program success

Mars Explorer Mecanum Wheel Robotic Kit (Arduino Mega2560)

Scientific Contributions of Lunar Robotic Precursor Missions

Technology Planning for Future Mars Missions

ExoMars 2016 Payload Selectionmepag.jpl.nasa.gov/meeting/2010-09/MEPAG_ExoMars... · •ESA and NASA have agreed to embark on a joint Mars robotic exploration programme: Initial missions

C.M. Rodrigue, 2007 Geography, CSULB Mars: Sources of Data from the Robotic Missions IV Geography 494-01 S/07 Dr. Christine M. Rodrigue

1998 Mars missions (1.2M)

C.M. Rodrigue, 2015 Geography, CSULB Mars: Sources of Data from the Robotic Missions II Geography 441/541 S/15 Dr. Christine M. Rodrigue

Joint Mars Programme Report · 2011-06-16 · 2 Programme Building Blocks •ESA and NASA have agreed to embark on a joint Mars robotic exploration programme: Initial missions have

Lunar Precursor Robotic ProgramLunar Precursor Robotic Program Robotic Precursor Missions Robotic missions: Provide early strategic information for human missions Key knowledge needed

TruePlanning Space Missions Validation Testing · Space Missions Validation Approach A validation using 12 recent NASA robotic Earth and Space Science Missions has been conducted

Technology Development for NASA Mars Missions › archive › nasa › casi.ntrs.nasa.gov › ...Technology Development for NASA Mars Missions Samad Hayati Chief Technologist Mars

Envisioning Robotic Telepresence for the Terraformation of Mars

1998 Mars Missions

Robotic Mars Exploration Strategy

Mars: Sources of Data from the Robotic Missions IV

HUMANS TO MARS REPORT 2016 - Explore MarsTHE HUMANS TO MARS REPORT 2016 vi 1 M ars is a challenging destination, both for robotic science and eventual human missions. Over the past

The Mars Surveyor '01 Rover and Robotic Arm

Possible mars Manned Missions