mars: sources of data from the robotic missions iii

C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB

Mars: Sources of Data from the Robotic Missions III

Geography 494-01

S/07

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

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panorama mars

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