P43A-0897 1340h
Analysis of "Meridiani Planum"-like evaporites using CheMin, an XRD/XRF instrument proposed for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
The discovery of up to 30-40 wt% sulfate salts in sediments at Meridiani Planum [1-2] indicates that evaporite sediments have played an important role in the hydrogeologic history of Mars. Data available to date support the presence of the mineral jarosite (a hydrous Fe-sulfate), Mg-sulfate, and lesser amounts of salts containing Cl and Br. One of the most exciting features of the Meridiani sediments is the possibility that the salts may be hydrated. Water storage in minerals may be a significant source of the elevated hydrogen abundances seen in some equatorial regions by the Odyssey spacecraft, with abundances up to 8-9 wt% water-equivalent present in areas where water ice should not be stable [3]. Is it possible that salt hydrates in evaporite sediments can account for some of this equatorial water? The ability to quantify mixed-salt mineralogies will be important for determining brine history on Mars. Definitive mineralogy, a key requirement of MSL, can be accomplished by the CheMin X-ray Diffraction / X-ray Fluorescence (XRD/XRF) instrument [4]. The MSL approach to investigating this kind of deposit can be based on the capabilities demonstrated by MER-B (visual petrography, Mossbauer, APXS, and Mini-TES). The enhanced drilling capability of MSL can be used to collect and transfer cores to the rock crusher for pulverizing and ultimate delivery of crushed material to CheMin. If MSL is able to traverse kilometers or tens of kilometers, CheMin characterization of changes in evaporite mineralogy, zonation in evaporite facies or the mineralogical identity of detrital grains could be used to conduct an analysis of the evaporative basin - lateral extent, water depth, salinity, facies changes, etc. The ability to quantify hydrated mineral assemblages will be important for reconstructing brine evolution and for determining the nature of interactions between brine minerals and detrital mineralogy. The important contribution of CheMin to a site like Meridiani will be to provide accurate and definitive mineralogical data of complex multi-mineral mixtures. Definitive mineralogical data will be highly useful in interpreting brine chemistry and the nature and extent of the ancient habitable zone that existed there. [1]. MER Rover web site (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/rover-images/mar-02-2004/images-3-2-04.html [2]. Kerr, R. A. (2004), "A wet early Mars seen in salty deposits," Science 303, 1450. [3]. Feldman, W. C., et al. (2003), "The global distribution of near-surface hydrogen on Mars," In: Sixth Int. Conf. on Mars, abstract #3218, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston (CD-ROM). [4]. Blake, D.F., P. Sarrazin, D.L. Bish, S. Feldman, S.J. Chipera, D.T. Vaniman, and S.A. Collins (2004), "Definitive Mineralogical Analysis of Mars Analogs Using the CheMin XRD/XRF Instrument," Lunar and Planetary Science Conf XXXV, abstr. #1373 (CD-ROM).
P43A-0898 1340h
A Powder Delivery System (PoDS) for Mars in situ Science
Many instruments proposed for in situ Mars science investigations work best with fine-grained samples of rocks or soils. Such instruments include the mineral analyzer CheMin [1] and any instrument that requires samples having high surface areas (e.g., mass spectrometers, organic analyzers, etc). The Powder Delivery System (PoDS) is designed to deliver powders of selected grain sizes from a sample acquisition device such as an arm-deployed robotic driller or corer to an instrument suite located on the body of a rover/lander. PoDS is capable of size-selective sampling of crushed rocks, soil or drill powder for delivery to instruments that require specific grain sizes (e.g. 5-50 mg of less than150 micron powder for CheMin). Sample material is transported as an aerosol of particles and gas by vacuum advection. In the laboratory a venturi pump driven by compressed air provides the impulse. On Mars, the ambient atmosphere is a source of CO2 that can be captured and compressed by adsorption pumping during diurnal temperature cycling [2]. The lower atmospheric pressure on the surface of Mars (7 torr) will affect fundamental parameters of gas-particle interaction such as Reynolds, Stocks and Knudsen numbers [3]. However, calculations show that the PoDS will operate under both Martian and terrestrial atmospheric conditions. Cyclone separators with appropriate particle size selection ranges remove particles from the aerosol stream. The vortex flow inside the cyclone causes grains larger than a specific size to be collected, while smaller grains remain entrained in the gas. Cyclones are very efficient inertial and centrifugal particle separators with cut sizes (d50) as low as 4 microns. Depending on the particle size ranges desired, a series of cyclones with descending cut sizes may be used, the simplest case being a single cyclone for particle deposition without mass separation. Transmission / membrane filters of appropriate pore sizes may also be used to collect powder from the aerosol stream. Results of a number of tests of the prototype PoDS will be presented. [1] Blake D. F., Sarrazin P., Bish D. L., Feldman S., Chipera S. J, Vaniman D.T., and Collins S., 2004, Definitive Mineralogical Analysis of Mars Analog Rocks Using the CheMin XRD/XRF Instrument, LPSC XXXV abstr. #1794 (CD-ROM). [2] Finn J. E., McKay C. P. and Sridhar R. K., 1999, Martian Atmosphere Utilization by Temperature-Swing Adsorption, University of Arizona, Publication No.961597, http://stl.ame.arizona.edu/publications/961597.pdf [3] Hinds W. C., 1999, Aerosol Technology - Properties, Behavior, and Measurement of Airborne Particles, Second edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., pp 15-67, 111-136.
P43A-0899 1340h
In-Situ Mineralogical Analysis using a Miniaturized Onboard Petrograph
Recent planetary missions (Mars Pathfinder, Mars Exploration Rovers: Spirit, Opportunity) have flown devices capable of doing some degree of in-situ geology, such as the AXPS. These devices provide clues as to the elemental content of a rock specimen, but fail to give a definitive mineralogical analysis of the measured sample. Properties such as elemental composition, grain sizes, water content, crystallization rates, shock metamorphosis, temperature history, secondary weathering processes, and other definitive mineralogical typing can not be determined by elemental composition alone. For terrestrial studies, these properties are routinely determined by thin-slice petrography, and are essential to understanding composition and evolution of planetary bodies. Our goal is to demonstrate the critical operations of a portable miniaturized petrograph. This instrument consists of the following components: (a) specimen collection, (b) sample mounting on a carousel tray, (c) thin-slice preparation with a diamond impregnated cutter and polisher, (d) polarized light analysis, and finally, (e) telemetry to transmit the images to a ground station. To collect the desired science data the petrograph will be carried by a mobile landing system (eg. rover) for in-situ mineralogical analyses.
P43A-0900 1340h
Camera, Hand lens, And Microscope Probe (CHAMP): An Instrument Proposed for the 2009 MSL Rover Mission.
We have proposed a single contact imaging experiment for NASA's 2009 Mars Surface Laboratory (MSL) rover mission with three core science objectives: 1) Assess the MSL landing region's biological potential by searching for morphologic/textural biosignatures in rocks and soil; 2) Characterize potential habitats on Mars, focusing on past aqueous environments and past (or present) endolithic habitats; 3) Characterize the local geology and geologic evolution of Mars, in particular in relation to H2O. In addition, as an easily accomodated opportunity, we have proposed to: 4) investigate implications of the martian particulate environment for human exploration. To meet these objectives, we propose to build and "fly" the Camera, Hand lens and Microscope Probe instrument or CHAMP, a compact and versatile imaging system to be mounted on the end of the MSL rover's contact instrument arm. CHAMP has a maximum spatial resolution of 3 microns/pixel, color (R, G, B), controlled lighting (white and UV), and continuously variable focus capabilities. CHAMP will allow examination of martian surface features and materials (terrain, rocks, soils, samples) on spatial scales ranging from kilometers to micrometers, thus enabling both microscopy and context imaging with high operational flexibility. CHAMP is designed to allow the detailed and quantitative investigation of a wide range of geologic features and processes on Mars, leading to a better quantitative understanding of the evolution of the martian surface environment through time. In particular, CHAMP will provide key data that will help understand the local region explored by MSL as a potential habitat for life. The proposed CHAMP Investigation addresses several of the central goals and objectives of the MSL mission and of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, and is responsive to MEPAG and PSIG goals and requirements. CHAMP will also support other anticipated MSL investigations, in particular by helping identify and select the highest priority targets for sample collection and analysis by the MSL's analytical suite. CHAMP will also allow the MSL rover to image itself in support of overall mission operations and the MSL Science and E/PO programs. The CHAMP Investigation's E/PO program will include extensive web-based activities and exciting informal education and public outreach content.
P43A-0901 1340h
Panoramic imaging mass-spectrometer for planetary studies
Plasma diagnostics can provide extremely useful information for solar system studies. Neutral and ion sputtering from the surface leads to the formation of neutral and ion exospheres with compositions that reflect the surface composition modified by ionization and transport processes around the body. Measurements of ion composition and velocity distributions provide important information about surface composition and its recycling. Plasma measurements from low altitude spacecraft and landers on planetary bodies without atmospheres can be used to map the surface composition, while spectrometers onboard spacecraft orbiting planets with atmosphere are used for study of planetary losses, mass-exchange with the solar wind, and the long-term evolution of their environment. To perform reliable measurements of planetary plasmas a complete 3-dimensional velocity distributions of various ion species is necessary. In addition, if fast measurements of the major ion species are the main goal of plasma physics studies, precise measurements of the minor ion composition are often essential to unveil important properties of the atmosphere or the surface. Therefore ion mass spectrometers for solar system missions require both the capability of making fast measurements of the 3D-velocity distribution of ions and high mass resolution for detailed composition studies. We describe a novel type of miniature panoramic ion mass-spectrometer suitable for making such 3-dimensional measurements of ion components with high mass resolution. The feeding electron optics of our plasma analyzer (CAMERA) allows for fast measurements within an instantaneous 2p field of view, which has no gaps and can be accomplished on either stabilized or rotating spacecraft, or landers. It is followed by a time-of-flight mass-spectrometer that retains imaging capabilities of the feeding optics and provides mass-resolution M/ΔM in excess of 100. Our spectrometer also provides flexible control of the energy bandwidth, mass and angular resolution, as well as high temporal resolution and UV rejection. The mass of the 2p panoramic ion energy-mass-spectrometer can be made as low as 1 kg.
P43A-0902 1340h
In Situ Measurements Of Ionic Motion Directly In Planetary Soils
Paleoclimate and environmental information can be extracted at a landing site from soil analyses and characterization, including whether water was a significant weathering agent. Terrestrial studies have demonstrated a close relationship between the depositional environment and the physical and chemical properties of the sediment/soils. If microbial life exists near the surface of Mars, then a close examination may detect coatings on sand or silt grains from the release of organic compounds, which are capable of sequestering or chelating ions from primary minerals or secondary weathering compounds. The search for life is a primary goal of NASA's planetary exploration program. The search is in itself tiered both in the life detection approach (present or past and level on the life detection pyramid) and in the survey method (scale, range, specificity) employed. A fundamental focus is on gathering evidence for water in the planetary near-surface. Current in-situ instruments are typically indirect, identifying minerals recognized from terrestrial experience as being caused by water-induced processes from measurements of elemental composition. IR reflectance spectra, or morphology using point instruments (e.g. APXS, Mossbauer, microscopic imager) do not distinguish between geologic events and present ones. Neutron spectrometers, on the other hand, identify pockets of hydrogen enrichment, which may or may not correlate with water in the planetary environment. Moreover, these instruments also require the rover to be stationary limiting their suitability for large-scale surveys. Characterizing potential habitats for life requires more unambiguous methods to detect water and a fuller characterization of planetary soils once water is found. The above instruments are not adequate for this larger task. Laboratory analytical instruments -- Mars Environmental Compatibility Assessment (MECA)/Phoenix-Wet Chemistry Lab (WCL), Trace Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA), Mars Oxidation Experiment (MOD) -- on the other hand, require extensive sample handling and/or consumables, limiting their use in large-scale surveys. Our instrument addresses the life detection problem by providing a tiered set of measurements of increasing complexity in undisturbed native planetary soils. The sensor suite will first detect, then quantify (1) the presence of water/ice, (2) ionic motion and (3) existing reduction-oxidation (REDOX) couples in the soils. From this characterization, we will infer potential energy sources for life in the soil habitat. The instrument provides this data over many samples, potentially while the rover is in motion, its minimal sample handling being consistent with the needs of surveying.
P43A-0903 1340h
IN SITU ANALYSIS OF THE MARTIAN REGOLITH USING SOLVENT EXTRACTION AND CHEMICAL DERIVATIZATION
Mars is presently the most likely planet on which there is a possibility of finding extinct and/or extant life. Future exploratory missions to Mars in search of evidence for life will focus on key organic molecules such as carboxylic and amino acids. The 2009 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mission will offer an opportunity to carry out in situ measurements for organic compounds on Mars. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is one technique that will be proposed for MSL. We are currently developing an automated extraction process coupled to chemical derivatization in order to target several key organic compounds using GC-MS. This paper presents a solid-liquid extraction method (1) that can be coupled with in situ GC-MS analyses of organic compounds on Mars. Amino acid and carboxylic acid extraction efficiencies from a soil sample collected from the Atacama Desert, Chile (2) using several different organic solvents including (isopropanol and water) have been determined. We found that a 1:1 mixture of isopropanol and water was the best solvent with high extraction yields for both amino and carboxylic acids in less than 30 minutes when the extraction procedure is assisted by ultrasonic treatment. A highly sensititive and quantitative single-step derivatization reaction was carried out using N-methyl, N-tert.-butyl (dimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA) as the silylating agent prior to GC-MS analysis. The effect of pH and salt concentration on the derivatization reaction was also studied. We have also demonstrated the feasibility of carrying out extraction and derivatization directly on the soil in a one-step procedure The development of a miniaturized reactor, where both the extraction and the derivatization processes could take place is currently under investigation. This method is discussed for an easy automation with coupling to an in situ GC-MS space instrument. (1) A. Buch et al., J.of Chrom. A, 999 (2003) 165-174 (2) R. Navarro-Gonzalez et al., Science 302 (2003) 1018-1021
P43A-0904 1340h
Fast-Turnoff Transient Electro-Magnetic (TEM) geophysical survey in the Peña de Hierro ("Berg of Iron") field area of the Mars Analog Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE)
This report describes the outcome of a Fast-Turnoff Transient Electro-Magnetic (TEM) geophysical survey carried out in the Peña de Hierro ("Berg of Iron") field area of the Mars Analog Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE), during May and June of 2003. The MARTE Peña de Hierro field area is located between the towns of Rio Tinto and Nerva in the Andalucia region of Spain. It is about one hour drive West of the city of Sevilla, and also about one hour drive North of Huelva. The high concentration of dissolved iron (and smaller amounts of other metals) in the very acidic water in the Rio Tinto area gives the water its characteristic wine red color, and also means that the water is highly conductive, and such an acidic and conductive fluid is highly suited for exploration by electromagnetic methods. This naturally acidic environment is maintained by bacteria in the groundwater and it is these bacteria that are the main focus of the MARTE project overall, and of this supporting geophysical work. It is the goal of this study to be able to map the subsurface extent of the high conductivity (low resistivity) levels, and thus by proxy the subsurface extent of the acidic groundwater and the bacteria populations. In so doing, the viability of using electromagnetic methods for mapping these subsurface metal-rich water bodies is also examined and demonstrated, and the geophysical data will serve to support drilling efforts. The purpose of this field survey was an initial effort to map certain conductive features in the field area, in support of the drilling operations that are central to the MARTE project. These conductive features include the primary target of exploration for MARTE, the very conductive acidic groundwater in the area (which is extremely rich in metals). Other conductive features include the pyretic ore bodies in the area, as well as extensive mine tailings piles.
http://joern.jernsletten.name/riotinto/03_photos/03_album.html
P43A-0905 1340h
Mapping Stratigraphy and Anomalies in Iron-Rich Volcanoclastics Using Ground-Penetrating Radar: Potential for Subsurface Exploration on Mars
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) studies conducted in iron-rich volcanoclastics can yield valuable information for interpreting the subsurface stratigraphy resulting from lava flows and intervening unconsolidated volcanic and sedimentary deposits with different compositions and ages. GPR is also valuable for mapping subsurface anomalies and structures, such as rifts and lava tubes. We performed a geophysical field survey in Craters of the Moon National Park to evaluate the potential for using GPR to map local areas of the Martian subsurface for evidence of subsurface water. Craters of the Moon is located in the South Central portion of Idaho, and lies within the Eastern Snake River Plain; it is a composite of more than forty different lava flows, erupted from approximately twenty-five cinder cones and eruptive fissures over eight distinct eruptive periods ranging in age from Late Pleistocene to Holocene. We used a GPR operating at 16 and 100 MHz to perform structural mapping at several different locations. Radar studies were combined with transient electromagnetic soundings and infrared spectroscopy to assess the effect of soil conductivity and geochemistry on identification of subsurface structures. Our results show that, even with a relatively high amount of irons oxides (~14 %), GPR penetration depths of 50 m were achieved with the 100 MHz antenna and penetration depths of 150 m were achieved with the 16 MHz antenna. These depths of investigation may be attributable to the high porosity of the soil at the studied areas, which lowered the electrical losses, thus favoring a relatively deep penetration of the radar wave.
P43A-0906 1340h
Seismometer Network Configurations Optimized for the Observed Fault Distribution on Mars
By providing a direct view into the interior of the planet, a seismological network on Mars would be of utmost importance for the further restriction of geodynamical modeling. A seismic network needs to be optimized in order to detect and locate the expected quakes. At the same time, technical restrictions concerning possible landing sites and long term station survival have to be considered. We present the results of an automated optimization process, which takes all these constraints into account and returns a number of different feasible network configurations. To estimate the likely geographical distribution of marsquakes, we use the fault inventory recently derived from MOLA (Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter) shaded reflief maps (e.g. Deuchler et al., 2004). This inventory contains 3642 thrust faults and 3746 normal faults with lengths from 8km to 1445km and is representative for faults longer than 50km. A fault-length-magnitude relation derived by Wells & Coppersmith (1994) for faults on earth is used to estimate the magnitude of the largest quake each of the faults can produce. Using the magnitude-frequency relation derived by Philips (1991) from the expected thermal contraction rate, it is then possible to generate a hypothetical seismic event catalogue which incorporates observed tectonic features as well as a meaningful Gutenberg-Richter relation. As additional engineering constraints, we assume that station survival would be possible only at latitudes below 30 degrees for solar illumination and power supply reasons. Additionally, a parachute landing is assumed that requires landing sites to be below an altitude of 0m (as defined by the areoid) to have sufficient atmospheric surface pressure available. These constraints define a map of allowed landing sites. A niching genetic algorithm is then used to optimize the network configuration with respect to the hypothetical quake catalogue and the allowed sites. Stations should be as close as possible to the epicenters to optimize the detection rate, and they should also be distributed in a way that allows us to locate the epicenters using seismic data. A widely used proxy to assess the location capability of a seismic network is the azimuthal gap, which is defined as the largest azimuth angle, measured at the epicenter, in which no station is situated. Azimuthal gap and distance to the nearest station are used as a measure for network quality. The genetic algorithm allows for the implementation of additional criteria which may arise from constraints of other experiments onboard the landers. The optimization process results in a number of configurations, which share station locations in relatively small areas. Each configuration satisfies predefined quality criteria in terms of detection and location capability. The set of resulting network configurations may then serve as a basis for further considerations, such as the choice of the geologically most interesting target.
P43A-0907 1340h
Mars 2003: Cooperative Observation Networks
We have two networks for cooperative Mars observations in Japan, which link up professional researchers and amateurs: Nishi-Harima Astronomical Observatory Mars Cooperative Observation and Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers in Japan. Presented is a summary of more than 4000 images collected by the two networks during the first half of the last apparition from 18 October, 2002 through 22 June, 2004, corresponding to the period of $L_s =$ 83$^{\mbox{\tiny $\circ$}}$--51$^{\mbox{\tiny $\circ$}}$. In this period many interesting phenomena were observed, including three dust storms and a precursor, South Polar Cap recession with dark markings and some bright spots, water ice clouds, orographic clouds, polar hoods, and new surface markings.
P43A-0908 1340h
Laboratory Equipment for Investigation of Coring Under Mars-like Conditions
To develop a suitable drill bit and set of operating conditions for Mars sample coring applications, it is essential to make tests under conditions that match those of the mission. The goal of the laboratory test program was to determine the drilling performance of diamond-impregnated bits under simulated Martian conditions, particularly those of low pressure and low temperature in a carbon dioxide atmosphere. For this purpose, drilling tests were performed in a vacuum chamber kept at a pressure of 5 torr. Prior to drilling, a rock, soil or a clay sample was cooled down to minus 80 degrees Celsius (Zacny et al, 2004). Thus, all Martian conditions, except the low gravity were simulated in the controlled environment. Input drilling parameters of interest included the weight on bit and rotational speed. These two independent variables were controlled from a PC station. The dependent variables included the bit reaction torque, the depth of the bit inside the drilled hole and the temperatures at various positions inside the drilled sample, in the center of the core as it was being cut and at the bit itself. These were acquired every second by a data acquisition system. Additional information such as the rate of penetration and the drill power were calculated after the test was completed. The weight of the rock and the bit prior to and after the test were measured to aid in evaluating the bit performance. In addition, the water saturation of the rock was measured prior to the test. Finally, the bit was viewed under the Scanning Electron Microscope and the Stereo Optical Microscope. The extent of the bit wear and its salient features were captured photographically. The results revealed that drilling or coring under Martian conditions in a water saturated rock is different in many respects from drilling on Earth. This is mainly because the Martian atmospheric pressure is in the vicinity of the pressure at the triple point of water. Thus ice, heated by contact with the rotating bit, sublimed and released water vapor. The volumetric expansion of ice turning into a vapor was over 150 000 times. This continuously generated volume of gas effectively cleared the freeze-dried rock cuttings from the bottom of the hole. In addition, the subliming ice provided a powerful cooling effect that kept the bit cold and preserved the core in its original state. Keeping the rock core below freezing also reduced drastically the chances of cross contamination. To keep the bit cool in near vacuum conditions where convective cooling is poor, some intermittent stops would have to be made. Under virtually the same drilling conditions, coring under Martian low temperature and pressure conditions consumed only half the power while doubling the rate of penetration as compared to drilling under Earth atmospheric conditions. However, the rate of bit wear was much higher under Martian conditions (Zacny and Cooper, 2004) References Zacny, K. A., M. C. Quayle, and G. A. Cooper (2004), Laboratory drilling under Martian conditions yields unexpected results, J. Geophys. Res., 109, E07S16, doi:10.1029/2003JE002203. Zacny, K. A., and G. A. Cooper (2004), Investigation of diamond-impregnated drill bit wear while drilling under Earth and Mars conditions, J. Geophys. Res., 109, E07S10, doi:10.1029/2003JE002204. Acknowledgments The research supported by the NASA Astrobiology, Science and Technology Instrument Development (ASTID) program.
P43A-0909 1340h
The Mars SEIS Experiment : Development Status
The objective of the Mars SEIS experiment is the determination of the deep internal structure of Mars. In particular, geophysical parameters of first importance, such as the state (liquid/solid) and size of the core, as far as structure of the mantle and shape of discontinuities will be determined by the experience. The experiment integrates a Very Broad Band (2 axis) seismometer, a (3 axis) short period seismometer and environmental sensors for pressure, infrasounds and temperature. The sensors measure signals in an ultra-broad band, from the tidal frequencies (0.05 mHz) up to the short period frequencies (50 Hz). Long term VBB bias will be actively decorrelated from temperature and pressure variations, allowing the sensor to operate in a thermal environment with daily variations of about 40K Infrasounds, which might be associated to dust devils and atmospheric discharge, will be also monitored. The overall mass of the SEIS experiment is 2.3 kg, including all sensors, data control processors and depployment devices. Acquisition will be performed by a series of 24 bits A/D converters, while the thermal and drift control will be performed by a feedback generated by a 24 bits D/A converter. A breadboard of the VBB axis is been delivered by industry in July 2004 and will be calibrated at IPGP facilities. A breadboard of the electronics has already been delivered and supports currently the development of the software first iteration. A functional breadboard of sphere (15 cm diameter) containing 2 VBB axis, environmental sensors and electronics will be delivered at the beginning of 2005. IPGP has the overall responsibility of the experiment and is responsible for the VBB sensor and environmental sensors. ETHZ is responsible for the electronics of the experiment and JPL for the Short Period sensors. The SEIS is one of the core instruments of the former Netlander mission, which objective is to deploy a network of 4 stations on Mars for one Martian year of operation. This design allows also an implementation under the form of a "geophysical package" to be dropped on Mars by other Martian missions.
P43A-0910 1340h
Maximum Age Predictions for Optical Dating on Mars Based on Dose/Depth Models and Martian Meteorite Compositions
A fundamental need in the Mars exploration portfolio is in-situ absolute dating. Optical dating has been proposed for determining the age of Mars surface features and landforms as well as the rates of martian surface processes. On Earth, the method is employed for Quaternary studies because the technique currently has a terrestrial maximum age limit of approximately 350 ka. This maximum age limit is a function of the saturation dose of the dosimeter material (silicate sediments) and the local ionizing radiation dose rate. The sources of ionizing radiation germane to optical dating are K, Rb, U, Th in the sediment/soil environment and cosmic rays. On Mars the near surface dose rate will be dominated by cosmic rays, however, at depth the decay of radioisotopes will be the principle contributor of ionizing radiation. In this work we present an evaluation of the maximum age limits for OSL dating on Mars as a function of depth. At this time we have considered only static burial. Our calculations are based on published models of and data for: (i) Mars surface cosmic dose rate and its attenuation by martian regolith, (ii) elemental analyses of Mars meteorites, (iii) an experimental evaluation of the saturation dose for the martian soil simulant JSC Mars-1. Our analysis confirms earlier inferences that optical dating should have a greater effective age range on Mars than on Earth. At depths easily accessible by penetrators or moles (1-3 m), maximum optical ages greater than 600 ka are possible. Geochronology on this scale would include at least two stadial/interstadial cycles within Mars' last "Glacial Epoch" (synchronized insolation variations between the poles). A wide range of landforms and surface processes associated with climate variability -- e.g. outwash and lacustrine deposition, large-scale eolian activation -- could potentially be optically dated. At greater depths, that could be reached by mobile drilling rigs or cryobots (10-30m), optical age maximums of 4.5 to greater than 35 Ma appear to be possible.
http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/ndsu/klepper/ODDSQUAD/
P43A-0911 1340h
Generation and Performance of Automated Jarosite Mineral Detectors for Mars Rovers.
Sulfate salt discoveries at the Eagle and Endurance craters in Meridiani Planum by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity have proven mineralogically the existence and involvement of water in Mars' past. Visible and near infrared spectrometers like the Mars Express OMEGA, the upcoming 2006 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter CRISM and the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory Rover cameras may facilitate the identification of water-bearing salts. Increasing spectral resolution and rover mission lifetimes currently necessitate greater data compression in order to ease downlink restrictions. On board data processing techniques such as automated mineral identification can ease bandwidth stress and increase scientific return. We have developed an automated support vector machine (SVM) detector operating in the VisNIR (300-2500 nm) spectral range trained to recognize the mineral jarosite (KFe$_{3}$(SO$_{4}$)$_{2}$(OH)$_{6}$). The detector input includes spectral wavelength intervals covering the primary jarositic spectral features at 620, 900 and 2280 nm and avoiding noisy features caused by atmospheric water vapor at 1400 and 1900 nm. The detector is trained on spectral library data (USGS speclib04) of 4 jarosite varieties and 85 samples of 21 non-jarosite minerals appropriate to Mars. To improve the training set, pure spectra were augmented with binary, tertiary and quaternary linear mixtures of spectra of the two (jarosite and non-jarosite) mineral groups. SVMs map training data into a high-dimensional kernel space and then fit a hyperplane that best separates the two classes of data. Initial results using spectra of pure (museum-quality) mineral samples taken in the laboratory include the correct identification of 16 jarosite spectra out of 209 diverse total spectra with no false negatives and one false positive. Results from laboratory spectra collected from field samples with mixed sulfate and phyllosilicate mineralogies include the correct detection of one jarosite and correct rejection of 13 clearly non-jarositic samples. Three of eight remaining samples were also detected as jarosite though the accuracy of these results will not be clear until the samples can be analyzed chemically. Future work will include the creation of detectors for other sulfate salts such as alunite (KAl$_{3}$(SO$_{4}$)$_{2}$(OH)$_{6}$) and other related minerals.
P43A-0912 1340h
RockIT: A Graphical Program for Labeling and Analyzing Rock S cenes
We have developed the Rock Identification Toolkit (RockIT), a cross-platform, graphical program designed to help geologists rapidly and accurately label rocks in images and report both per rock and per image statistics. We divide rock labeling into two major phases. First, RockIT calculates initial traces (boundaries) for rocks in a scene by arbitrating (combining) Sobel and Canny edge detectors at multiple scales. While this phase is quick, at seconds to minutes per image, it may be performed in a non-interactive, batch mode, so as to decrease the total time spent in front of RockIT. The initial machine-assisted rock determination is not perfect and becomes less so for certain classes of images (e.g. scenes with high dust deposition or images with low contrast). In the second phase, a person may improve upon inaccurate rock detections. For this, RockIT provides a set of tools, like Polygon, Pencil and Zoom, inspired by well-known paint program metaphors, to allow modification, deletion or addition of rock traces. Finally, to further speed labeling, RockIT provides a Snake tool to wrap rough-cut traces tightly around rock perimeters. As rock traces are added, removed and modified, RockIT continually updates a table of per rock statistics. The most basic statistic reports rock area (in pixels). A more involved set of statistics uses a direct least squares technique to fit a rock trace to an ellipse and report the semimajor and semiminor axes, orientation, eccentricity and quality of fit. In the future we plan to add additional statistics to characterize rock albedo and texture. JPL geologists have used RockIT to label and analyze both the microscopic imager and panoramic scenes from the Mars Exploration Rovers mission.
P43A-0913 1340h
Recent Advances: Onboard Autonomous Science Investigation System
The Onboard Autonomous Science Investigation System (OASIS) uses images taken by planetary rovers to automatically assign an importance value to each image. This importance ranking is based on the rocks found in the images. The ranking can be used to establish, onboard, a priority of the data that will be transmitted to Earth, thus increasing the overall quality of bandwidth-constrained, or time-constrained, downlinks. In addition to prioritization, the onboard analysis results can be used to recognize new science opportunities through a "science alert" feature that triggers new rover activities (e.g. acquire an additional image). New science targets and measurements are then generated and added to the rover's task list through a planning and scheduling component of the system. After providing a system overview of OASIS, we describe our recent advances in integrating with and using the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's FIDO rover. OASIS can now autonomously perform the following sequence of steps: analyze gray scale imagery to find rocks in the scene (already implemented onboard the rover), extract properties of the rocks, identify rocks with interesting features, re-task the rover to take additional imagery of the identified target and then allow the rover to continue on its original mission. In addition, we will also describe the early 2004 ground test validation of specific OASIS components on JPL Mars Yard image sets and selected Mars Exploration Rover (MER) images.
P43A-0914 1340h
Sailing the Planets: Science from Directed Aerial Robot Explorers
In the past 50 years planetary exploration has evolved from being a subject of science fiction to a multi-billion dollar activity that embraces numerous branches of science, engineering and government on several continents, affects national policies and excites the public. The development of new observational platforms - orbiters, landers and rovers - has been central to successful exploration of the planets. The maturing of planetary exploration suggests that a unifying approach to planetary exploration - one that would reduce costs and facilitate discovery - is needed. Global Aerospace Corporation under funding from the NASA institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) is developing a concept for planetary exploration architecture that would provide such an approach. At the core of the architecture are the Directed Aerial Robot Explorer (DARE) platforms, which are autonomous balloons with path guidance capabilities that can deploy swarms of miniature robotic probes over multiple target areas. These platforms will observe planets in concert with orbiter(s) and surface platforms (landers and rovers) on global scales continuously for several years. Due to their relatively low cost and low power consumption balloons represent a very attractive platform for planetary exploration. Indeed, the successful Venera-Vega Project demonstrated technical feasibility of deploying a balloon on another planet and the wealth of opportunities presented by a balloon platform for planetary atmospheric and surface studies. Concepts for planetary balloon exploration of Mars, Venus, Titan and the Outer Planets have been studied. The DARE architecture revolutionizes these early concepts by providing the balloon, for the first time, a means of flight path control and autonomous navigation, and by integrating the balloon platform with innovative lightweight microprobes. In addition, DARE platforms can make concurrent observations with other observational platforms leading to a revolutionary architecture for planetary exploration. This architecture would greatly expand the planetary exploration capabilities allowing high-resolution targeted observations, and augmenting observations at atmospheric altitudes with in situ surface observations by the microprobes. The study focuses on development of the DARE concept in the context of a Mars mission. On Mars, DARE will search for biologically favorable sites on and under the surface by globally surveying the planet and "sniffing" the water and methane in the atmosphere. A survey will result in concentration maps that could help to identify promising sites for exploration. Miniature thermal-emission spectrometers and high-resolution cameras onboard the DARE platforms will image the surface and map mineralogical abundances at the resolution achieved by the Mars Exploration Rovers, but on the global scale. Magnetic field measurements from altitudes of just 6 to 12 km will provide an unprecedented opportunity to study Martian geology and geophysics, and evolution of the planet. DARE will visit Polar Regions to closely observe sublimation of polar caps during the spring and the genesis of local dust storms, and then migrate towards tropical regions to observe the formation of dust devils or trace the plumes of atmospheric water vapor. DARE could release ice penetrators over the polar cap to study the layering in the ice sheets, miniature weather and geophysical stations, rovers and crawlers while flying over highlands and lowlands, and subsurface penetrators over the areas where subsurface ice could be present. Small navigational beacons could be deployed over potential landing sites to provide assistance in precision landing of robotic and/or piloted spaceships.
P43A-0915 1340h
The Medusa Sea Floor Monitoring System
The Medusa Sea Floor Monitoring System (MSMS) is a technology development project that is designed to enable fundamental research into understanding the potential for and limits to chemolithoautotrophic life. This is life within which inorganic carbon is converted to organic carbon and where only inorganic compounds serve as electron acceptors and electron donors. Such life forms are postulated to be capable of surviving in a Europan ocean. If we can prove that such life forms exist on Earth it would provide credence to the hypothesis that they might exist on other planets or moons in our Solar System. It has been hypothesized that one environment which might foster such life is associated with sub-seafloor hydrothermal vent structures. The goal of the MSMS project is to develop an instrument capable of testing this hypothesis. The MSMS instrument is an evolution of a sea floor monitoring system developed by Dr. Adam Schultz. Its design is the result of many generations of hardware and dive programs. Medusa provides the capability to measure and sample effluent and influent sea floor hydraulic flows associated with hydrothermal vent structures, active sea mounds, and sea floor bore holes. Through this proposal we are developing the next generation Medusa system and initiating the integration of several select chemical and biological sensors into the Medusa backbone. These sensors are an in situ flow-through spectral chemistry system, a cavity ringdown 12C/13C system, and an intrinsic fluorescence instrument. der way. This instrument can be used to target and discriminate between biological samples for automated sample collection
P43A-0916 1340h
Sensitive Amino Acid Composition and Chirality Analysis with the Mars Organic Analyzer (MOA)
Detection of life on Mars requires definition of a suitable biomarker and development of sensitive yet compact instrumentation capable of performing in situ analyses. Our studies are focused on amino acid analysis because amino acids are more resistant to decomposition than other biomolecules, and because amino acid chirality is a well-defined biomarker. Amino acid composition and chirality analysis has been previously demonstrated in the lab on microfabricated capillary electrophoresis (CE) chips (1, 2). To analyze amino acids in situ, we have developed the Mars Organic Analyzer (MOA), a portable analysis system that consists of a compact instrument and a novel multi-layer CE microchip. The heart of the MOA is the microchip that contains the CE separation channels as well as microfabricated valves and pumps (3) for sample handling. The pneumatic microfabricated valves are created by combining an etched displacement chamber, an actuated PDMS membrane layer, and a discontinuous fluidic channel structure. A microfabricated pump is created by combining three individually-addressable valves in series. These membrane valves and pumps are integrated with the glass separation channel using a novel multilayer design in which sample enters the top fluidic layer for routing and is directed to the bottom glass layers for CE separation and analysis. The microfabricated device is operated by the portable instrument which contains solenoids for controlling fluidic valves, electronics, a 15 mW 400 nm diode laser, confocal detection optics, and a fiber-optic coupled photomultiplier for fluorescence detection. Limits of detection of fluorescamine-labeled amino acids are in the nM to pM range corresponding to part-per-trillion sensitivities in soil samples (4). The portable CE instrument, in combination with the Mars Organic Detector (MOD) (5), was recently successfully field tested on soil samples rich in jarosite from Panoche Valley, CA. Jarosite has recently been detected on Mars and is a key mineral indicating that liquid water was once present on the planet's surface. Amino acids from jarosite samples were sublimed by MOD and deposited onto a fluorescamine-coated cold finger. The microfabricated pumps were used to direct buffer through the MOA sipper to dissolve the sample, and then to return the sample for analysis. The jarosite sample was found to contain low levels of methyl and ethylamine (5 ppb), alanine/serine (0.4 ppb), glycine (0.2 ppb), glutamic (0.07 ppb) and aspartic (0.1 ppb) acid as well as a higher concentration of valine ($\sim$100 ppb). These results clearly demonstrate that amines and amino acids can be extracted from sulfate-rich acidic soils such as jarosite and analyzed using the MOA (http://astrobiology.berkeley.edu). References 1. Hutt, L. D., Glavin, D. P., Bada, J. L. & Mathies, R. A. (1999) Anal. Chem. 71, 4000-4006. 2. Skelley, A. M. & Mathies, R. A. (2003) J. Chromatogr. A 1021, 191-199. 3. Grover, W. H., Skelley, A. M., Liu, C. N., Lagally, E. T. & Mathies, R. A. (2003) Sens. Actuators B 89, 325-323. 4. Skelley, A. M., Scherer, J. R., Aubrey, A. D., Grover, W. H., Ivester, R. H. C., Ehrenfreund, P., Grunthaner, F. J., Bada, J. F. & Mathies, R. A. (2004) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, manuscript in preparation. 5. Kminek, G., Bada, J. L., Botta, O., Glavin, D. P. & Grunthaner, F. (2000) Planetary & Space Science 48, 1087-1091.
http://astrobiology.berkeley.edu
P43A-0917 1340h
Communication Research for NASA's Planetary Protection Program: Science, Risk, Models, Strategy
Planetary protection is the term used to describe policies and practices that are intended to prevent 1) contamination of extraterrestrial environments by microbial Earth life (forward contamination) and 2) contamination of Earth's environment by possible extraterrestrial microbial life (back contamination) in the course of solar system exploration. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the international Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) both have planetary protection policies in place. Because the practice of planetary protection involves many different disciplines and many different national and international and governmental and nongovernmental organizations, communication has always been an important element of the practice. Thus NASA Planetary Protection Office has a long-term communication research initiative under way, addressing legal and ethical issues relating to planetary protection, models and methods of science and risk communication, and communication strategy and planning. With the pace of solar system exploration picking up, the era of solar system sample return under way, and public concerns about biological contamination heightened, communication is an increasingly important concern in the planetary protection community. This paper will describe current activities in communication research for NASA's planetary protection program.
P43A-0918 1340h
Forging Planetary Protection Requirements for the Next Decade: Policies and Discoveries
Preventing the biological contamination of sensitive areas on other bodies of the solar system while protecting the Earth from the potential hazard of returned samples from locations that might support an indigenous biota are both of critical importance to the future success of science and exploration missions. In 2002, the ICSU Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) published an international consensus planetary protection policy that outlines requirements to achieve these goals, driven by a desire to preserve science opportunities and by simple prudence. Translating such a policy into requirements at both the mission and subsystem level, however, requires a more intimate understanding of both the sources of contamination and the accessible habitats on other worlds than is now the case--and it may always be that way. As the array of prospective missions grows, new data from current missions and the reexamination of previous results will drive future planetary protection concerns and attendant requirements. A framework for assessing required contamination control measures for space missions must be developed to be robust to our emerging understanding of potential extraterrestrial habitats, while making full use of the increased understanding of biology that we see envision today--particularly those aspects of biology that could affect the survival of Earth microbes on other worlds. Likewise, the development of a greater understanding of biology and its potential can help guide requirements for testing a returned sample for possible biohazards. Current thinking on a strategy to provide such a framework will be provided in this discussion.
P43A-0919 1340h
NASA's New Millennium ST-9 Project
NASA's New Millennium Program (NMP), has inaugurated the Space Technology 9 (ST9) mission, an integrated system validation project. This is the latest of a series of in-space technology validation activities that began in 1996 with Deep Space 1. The New Millennium Program identifies the technological capabilities needed for future space science missions and the technology advances that will help provide those capabilities. The ST-9 mission will validate one of five technology capabilities that NASA Associate Administrator has selected as candidates for flight validation. The five technology capabilities under consideration are of great relevance to the full breadth of the NASA's Space Science endeavor and are based on input from the space science community for guidance and concurrence. After careful review NASA is preparing a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) soliciting proposals for technology advances to provide needed capability for the following technology capability areas: 1) Solar sail capability-design metrics, scaling, deployment, propulsion and attitude control. 2) Large Space Telescope-structure and control dynamics, materials, structures, actuators, controls for fabrication, packaging and deployment, optical correction and active figure control, thermal control at cryogenic temperatures. 3)Formation Flying- autonomous operations, intersatellite communications, spacecraft formation control, and relative position estimation. 4)Aerocapture- system and performance modeling, aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics, thermal protection systems and structures, and guidance, navigation, and control. 5)Pinpoint Landing and Hazard Avoidance-sensors/algorithms for guidance and navigation, aerodynamic/propulsive maneuvering system options, terrain sensing and hazard recognition systems, and terrain sensors. NASA issued the NRA for technology providers for each capability area in 2004 and it is expected that at least one of the five technology capability areas will subsequently be selected for the New Millennium ST9 in-space technology validation experiment. This work performed at JPL under contract with NASA
P43A-0920 1340h
NASA's New Millennium ST6 Project
NASA's New Millennium Program validates advanced technologies in space and thus lowers the risk for the first mission user. The New Millennium ST6 project has developed two advanced, experimental technologies for use on future missions. These technologies are the Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment and the Inertial Stellar Compass. These technologies will improve a spacecraft's ability to: 1) Make intelligent decisions on what information to gather and send back to the ground 2) Determine its own attitude and adjust its pointing. The significance of these technologies is in making the space missions less dependent on operators on the ground and shift the decision making to the spacecraft itself. Future missions using these technologies will be able to reduce the size of the ground crew lowering the mission cost or allowing re-deployment of resources to other aspects of the mission. Autonomous pointing and science gathering will also allow the spacecraft to react to ephemeral events that otherwise could not be detected in time due to long communication times from deep space. Sciencecraft technology involves feature and change detection, continuous planning technology, and robust execution. It is equipped with software that checks spacecraft performance and has resources to prevent errors. The Inertial Stellar Compass will enable a spacecraft to continuously determine its attitude and recover its orientation after a temporary malfunction or power loss. This is done by the "marriage" of a miniaturized star camera and gyro system. Compass technology uses an active pixel sensor in a star-tracking camera and a three-axis system of microelectromechanical gyros. These technologies will revolutionize future NASA spacecraft and allow mission resources to focus on science goals. This work done at JPL under contract with NASA