C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Sources of Data from the Robotic Missions III
Geography 494-01
S/07
Dr. Christine M. Rodrigue
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
NASA Spirit and Opportunity Rovers 2004-present Spirit in Gusev Crater
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
NASA Spirit and Opportunity Rovers 2004-present Opportunity in Meridiani Planum
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
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
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity instrumentation
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
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity instrumentation
Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Spirit true color image: layers in Gusev
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity instrumentation
Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Opportunity false color image: blueberries in Meridiani
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity instrumentation
Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Opportunity true color panorama mosaic: 8 m Fram Crater
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity instrumentation
Panoramic Camera (Pancam) Spirit true color 9 image 120 panorama: Columbia Hills
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity instrumentation
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
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity instrumentation
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
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity instrumentation
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
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity
instrumentation Microscopic Imager (MI)
Opportunity close up of concretions/ layers: source of blueberries
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
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
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity instrumentation
Spectroscopy Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) Mössbauer Spectrometer (MB) Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS)
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity instrumentation
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)
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
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)
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions Opportunity
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
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions Opportunity
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)
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity instrumentation
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)
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions Opportunity
Mössbauer spectra for “Bounce Rock” Rock by landing site in Eagle Crater – possibly broken by impact
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
NASA Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity instrumentation
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
C.M. Rodrigue, 2007Geography, CSULB
Mars: Data from Robotic Missions
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