Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Dec 2002
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002agufm.p21c..02s&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2002, abstract #P21C-02
Mathematics
Logic
6225 Mars, 6297 Instruments And Techniques
Scientific paper
The Athena Mars rover payload is a suite of scientific instruments and tools for exploration of the martian surface. Two identical copies of the Athena payload will be flown in 2003 on the two Mars Exploration Rovers. The topography, morphology, and mineralogy of the scene around each rover will be revealed by Pancam and Mini-TES. Pancam is a stereo camera whose filters provide 14 color spectral bandpasses over the spectral region from 0.4 to 1.1 mm. Pancam's angular resolution is 0.28 mrad/pixel. Mini-TES produces high spectral resolution (10 cm-1) infrared image cubes with a wavelength range of 5-29 μm and angular resolution modes of 20 and 8 mrad. Once promising targets have been identified using Pancam and Mini-TES, they will be studied in more detail using two in-situ compositional sensors mounted on a 5-degree-of-freedom robotic arm. These are an Alpha Particle-X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) and a Mössbauer Spectrometer. Radioactive alpha sources and two detection modes (alpha and x-ray) in the APXS provide elemental abundances of rocks and soils. The Mössbauer Spectrometer measures the resonant absorption of gamma rays produced by a 57Co source to determine splitting of nuclear energy levels in Fe atoms, revealing the mineralogy and oxidation state of Fe-bearing phases. The instrument arm also carries a Microscopic Imager that will obtain high-resolution images of the same materials for which compositional data will be obtained. Its spatial resolution is 30 mm/pixel over a 6-mm depth of field. The Athena payload includes a Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT). When placed against a rock, it uses a mechanical grinding wheel to remove 5 mm of material over a circular area 47 mm in diameter. The resultant exposed region is large enough to be investigated in detail using all of the instruments on the payload. The Athena payload will be used to investigate the geologic history of the two MER landing sites. The rovers' mobility will enable use of the payload over a substantial area around each landing site, and rover traverses will be conducted that attempt to maximize the scientific return from each site. Particular emphasis will be placed on investigation of the possible aqueous history of each site, with implications for past habitability. The remote sensing instruments (Pancam and Mini-TES) will also be used to conduct a broad range of atmospheric science investigations. The rovers themselves will be used in conjunction with the payload to investigate the physical properties of martian rocks and soils.
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