Compositional Analysis of Martian Soil: Synergism of APEX and MECA Experiments on MPS 2001

Details Compositional Analysis of Martian Soil: Synergism of APEX and MECA Experiments on MPS 2001 Compositional Analysis of Martian Soil: Synergism of APEX and MECA Experiments on MPS 2001

Sep 1999

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999smtp.conf....9a&link_type=abstract

Studies of Mineralogical and Textural Properties of Martian Soil: An Exobiological Perspective, p. 9

Mathematics

Logic

Mars (Planet), Mars Missions, Mineralogy, Payloads, Soils, Chemical Composition, Experiment Design, Mars Surface, Mars Environment, Microscopy, Spectrometers, Dust

Scientific paper

The APEX (ATHENA Precursor Experiment) payload for the Mars 2001 mission will analyze soil and dust with a multispectral panoramic imager and an emission spectrometer on a mast on the lander, a Moessbauer spectrometer on the lander robotic arm (RA), and APXS measurements on the Marie Curie rover. These analytical methods will provide data on elemental abundances and mineralogy. The MECA payload on the lander will apply microscopy, AFM, wet chemistry, adhesive substrates, and electrometry to determine the shape and size of particles in the soil and dust, the presence of toxic substances, and electrostatic, magnetic, and hardness qualities of particles. The two experiments will complement one another through several interactions: (1) The panoramic imager provides the geological setting in which both APEX and MECA samples are acquired, (2) The RA provides samples to MECA from the surface and subsurface and will permit APEX analytical tools access to materials below the inunediate surface, (3) Comparisons can be made between elemental analyses of the Moessbauer, IR, APXS on APEX and the wet chemistry of MECA which will define trace elements (ionic species in solution) and soil redox potential and conductivity. (4) APEX bulk compositional measurements will place MECA trace measurements in context, and similarly, MECA microscopy will provide particle size data that may correlate with compositional differences determined by the APEX instruments. Additionally, lithic fragments viewed by the NMCA microscope station should correlate with mineral/rock species inferred by APEX data, (5) If APEX instruments detect quartz for example, the scratch plates of the N4ECA microscope stage will define if a mineral of this hardness is registered during abrasion tests. This is by no means an exhaustive list of potential interactions, but it is clear that both the sheer number of analytical techniques and their complementarity should provide an analytically powerful capability for both planetary and BEDS communities.

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