Results from the - University of Washingtonearthweb.ess.washington.edu/space/ESS495/RSS_UW.pdf · 2013. 5. 9. · sol46 JakeMatijevic 30 min NASA/JPL-Caltech/U. Guelph APXS Spectra

Results from the

Mars Science Laboratory

Ronald S. Sletten

MSL Science Team

5/9/13

NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Curiosity’s Science Objectives

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Curiosity’s primary scientific goal is to explore and quantitatively assess a local region on Mars’ surface as a potential habitat for life, past or present

• Biological potential

• Geology and geochemistry

• Role of water

• Surface radiation

NASA’s Mars Exploration Program

The data/information contained herein has been reviewed and approved for release by JPL Export Administration on the basis that this document contains no export-controlled information.

Launch Year

MRO

Mars Express (ESA)

Odyssey

MER

2016 2018 2020 & Beyond 2013 2011

NASA/ESA Rover

Phoenix Mars Science Lab

Mars Sample Return

2000 to Present

MAVEN

MER

Recent missions have discovered that Mars’ surface reveals a diverse and dynamic history, including evidence for sustained interactions with liquid water.

By studying a potentially habitable, ancient environment, MSL is a bridge to future missions that focus on life detection or returning samples.

TGO

(ESA-NASA)

Mars Landing Sites (Previous Missions and MSL Final Candidates)

Sunset at Gale Crater

Rover Family Portrait

Spirit and Opportunity

2003

Sojourner 1996

Curiosity 2011

Curiosity’s Science Payload

ChemCam (Chemistry)

Mastcam (Imaging)

REMS (Weather)

DAN (Subsurface Hydrogen)

SAM (Chemistry and Isotopes)

CheMin (Mineralogy)

MARDI (Imaging)

APXS (Chemistry) MAHLI

(Imaging) RAD

(Radiation)

Drill Scoop Brush Sieves

Descent Stage

First Spacecraft Integration

Assembled Spacecraft

Putting it Together for the Final Time

Aeroshell “Fit Check”

Launch on Atlas V 541, Nov. 2011

Cape Canaveral

Atlas Launch Vehicle: Cape Canaveral November 26, 2011

MSL Entry, Descent, and Landing

• Guided entry corrects for atmospheric variability and improves landing accuracy

• “Sky Crane” design places the rover directly on Martian soil while keeping the rockets away from the ground

Parachute Descent Heatshield Separation Backshell Separation

Powered Descent

Touchdown

Max Heating and Deceleration

Cruise Stage Separation

Guided Entry (horizontal flight)

Sky Crane

Mission Overview

SURFACE MISSION • Prime mission is one Mars year

• Latitude-independent and long-lived

power source

• Ability to drive out of landing ellipse

• 75 kg (165 lbs.) of science payload

• Direct (uplink) and relayed (downlink)

communication

• Fast CPU and large data storage

ENTRY, DESCENT, LANDING • Guided entry and powered

“sky crane” descent

• 20×25-km landing ellipse

• Designed to access landing

sites ±30° latitude, < 0 km

• 900-kg (1 ton) rover

CRUISE/APPROACH • 8½-month cruise

• Arrives August 6, 2012

LAUNCH • Launched on

Nov. 26, 2011

• Atlas V (541)

Landing precision for Curiosity and previous Mars surface missions

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA

17

Gale Crater: A Mountain of Sediments

Sedimentary mound

records evolution of

Mars Environment

20 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/MSSS

150-km Gale Crater contains a 5-km high mound of stratified rock. Strata in the lower section of the mound vary in mineralogy and texture, suggesting that they may have recorded environmental changes over time. Curiosity will investigate this record for clues about habitability, and the ability of Mars to preserve evidence about habitability or life.

Target: Gale Crater and Mount Sharp

NASA/JPL-Caltech

?

Descent and First Observations

at Bradbury Landing

Heat shield separation captured

by Curiosity’s Mars Descent Imager


Curiosity on parachute, imaged by

HiRISE on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

Kicking up dust just prior to landing


“Touchdown confirmed.”

“Let’s see where Curiosity will take us.”

NASA/JPL-Caltech

Mastcam mosaic of Mount Sharp, descent

rocket scours, and rover shadow


NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP/MSSS

ChemCam spectra of Coronation

NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP


Target: Coronation (N165) Sol 13 Shots: 30

NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP/MSSS

Analysis of

“Jake Matijevic”

Nested, hand-lens imaging of the 25-cm (10”)

high rock Jake Matijevic


Jake Matijevic studied by Mastcam (image), APXS,

and ChemCam


Composition is similar to alkaline

basalts on Earth produced by

partial melting of the mantle

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

0.01

0.1

1

10

BrZn

Ni

Fe

Mn

Cr

Ti

CaK

Cl

S

P

Si

Mg

Al

Na

co

un

ts p

er

se

co

nd

Energy [keV]

sol34 Caltarget 90 min

sol46 JakeMatijevic 30 min

NASA/JPL-Caltech/U. Guelph

APXS Spectra

Trek toward Glenelg and

Discovery of Conglomerate

Curiosity progressed toward Glenelg, where

three distinct terrain types meet


Curiosity and its tracks captured by

HiRISE on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter


Map view of conglomerate outcrops (next slides)


Goulburn, scoured by Curiosity’s descent

rockets, first revealed bedrock


The conglomerate “Link” with associated

loose, rounded pebbles


The conglomerate reveals an ancient streambed,

likely originating at the northern crater rim

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UofA

Alluvial fan

Rocknest Scooping Campaign

Windblown “sand shadow” at the Rocknest site


Wheel scuff

to confirm

depth of

sand, for

safe

scooping

NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS MAHLI view of coarse (0.5 to 1.5 mm) sand

from the ripple’s surface, and fine (< 0.25

mm) sand on wall and floor of trench

SAM and

CheMin

analyses

of

Rocknest

Sand

composed of

unaltered

basaltic

minerals,

similar to soils

on Mars

X-ray

diffraction

pattern

from

CheMin


NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ames

Gases

released

during SAM

experiments

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Goddard

Also evidence for water,

sulfates, carbonates, and

potentially perchlorates

Curiosity self-portrait

at Rocknest

Assembled from 55

MAHLI images

Shows four scoop

trenches and wheel

scuff


Measurements of Mars’

Atmosphere and Environment

Curiosity’s Rover Environmental Monitoring

Station is taking weather readings 24 × 7

REMS’ ground and

air temperature

sensors are located

on small booms on

the rover’s mast

The ground

temperature

changes by 90°C

(170 degrees

Fahrenheit)

between day and

night

The air is warmer

than the ground at

night, and cooler

during the morning,

before it is heated

by the ground

NASA/JPL-Caltech/CAB(CSIC-INTA)

REMS pressure measurements detect local,

regional, and global weather phenomena

Each day the

pressure varies by

over 10%, similar to

the change in

pressure between

Los Angeles and

Denver

Solar heating of the

ground drives a

pressure “tidal

wave” that sweeps

across the planet

each day

NASA/JPL-Caltech/CAB(CSIC-INTA)/FMI/Ashima Research Earth’s atmosphere = 101,325

Pascals, or about 140 times the

pressure at Gale Crater

Overall, the pressure

is increasing as

carbon dioxide

sublimates from the

southern seasonal

polar cap

Curiosity’s Radiation Assessment Detector

measures high-energy radiation

RAD observed

galactic cosmic

rays and five solar

energetic particle

events traveling

from Earth to Mars

Mars’ atmosphere

partially shields the

surface from

radiation. When the

atmosphere is

thicker (higher

REMS pressure),

RAD measures less

radiation.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI

Curiosity’s Radiation Assessment Detector

operated throughout the cruise to Mars

Par

ticl

e Fl

ux

(pro

ton

s/cm

2 /s/

sr)

05 09 11 13 15

Day (March 2012)

Part

icle

Flu

x (

pro

tons/c

m2/s

/sr)

RAD observed

galactic cosmic

rays and five solar

energetic particle

events

RAD was shielded

by the spacecraft

structure, reducing

the observed

particle flux relative

to NASA’s ACE

satellite

RAD is now

collecting the first

measurements of

the radiation

environment on the

surface of another

planet

NASA/JPL-

Caltech/SwRI

Curiosity’s Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons

experiment sounds the ground for hydrogen

DAN sends ten

million neutrons

into the ground, ten

times a second

The “echo” back is

recorded. If

hydrogen is present

in the ground,

perhaps in aqueous

minerals, some

neutrons will collide

and lose energy

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Russian Space Research Institute

DAN is used to

survey the upper

one meter of the

ground below the

rover as it drives

along

The SAM Tunable Laser Spectrometer and Mass

Spectrometer measure atmospheric composition

SAM found that argon,

rather than nitrogen is the

second most abundant gas

SAM also found that Mars’

atmosphere is enriched in

the heavy versions of

isotopes, indicating that

atmospheric loss has

occurred

Methane has not been

definitively detected

TLS uses infrared lasers

and mirrors to measure the

absorption of light by

atmospheric gases

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Goddard

Atmospheric Gas Abundances

Measured by SAM

The Glenelg Region

and Yellowknife Bay

Curiosity is currently exploring Yellowknife

Bay, a basin within the Glenelg region


“Shaler” rocks just outside Yellowknife Bay show

inclined, fine layers that indicate sediment transport


Heading into Yellowknife Bay


Postcards from

Yellowknife Bay

showing a diversity of

rock types, fractures,

and veins

NASA/JPL-Caltech


“Sheepbed” rocks contain 1 to 5-mm fractures filled

with calcium sulfate minerals that precipitated from

fluids at low to moderate temperatures

NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP/ LPGNantes/CNRS/LGLyon/Planet-Terre

ChemCam spectra from sol 125 “Crest” and 135 “Rapitan”

ChemCam Remote Micro-Imager

“Sheepbed” rocks also contain many spherules

suggesting that water percolated though pores


Drill Campaign at

John Klein, Yellowknife Bay

John Klein drill site showing fractured bedrock

and ridge-forming veins


Targets studied to prepare for drilling


APXS and the dust-removing brush


APXS sees higher sulfur and

calcium in vein-rich rock

Removing the dust results in

slightly lower sulfur

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ U. Guelph

Arm deployed at John Klein

NASA/JPL-Caltech/D. Bouic

Curiosity’s 1.6-cm drill bit, drill and test holes,

and scoop full of acquired sample

NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP/LPGNantes/CNRS

NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

ChemCam laser shots of brushed rock and drill

tailings pile

NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/IRAP/CNES/LPGNantes/IAS/CNRS/MSSS

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ U. Guelph

NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Honeybee Robotics/LANL/CNES

“Wernecke”

Sol 169

X-ray diffraction patterns from Rocknest (left)

and John Klein (right)

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ames The drill powder contains abundant

phyllosilicates (clay minerals), indicating

sustained interaction with water

Major gases released from John Klein sample

and analyzed by SAM

NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSFC

SAM analysis of the drilled rock sample reveals water, carbon dioxide,

oxygen, sulfur dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide released on heating. The release

of water at high temperature is consistent with smectite clay minerals.


An Ancient Habitable Environment

at Yellowknife Bay

• The regional geology and fine-grained rock suggest that the

John Klein site was at the end of an ancient river system or

within an intermittently wet lake bed

• The mineralogy indicates sustained interaction with liquid

water that was not too acidic or alkaline, and low salinity.

Further, conditions were not strongly oxidizing

• Key chemical ingredients for life are present, such as carbon,

hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur

• The presence of minerals in various states of oxidation would

provide a source of energy for primitive biology

Mount Sharp,

The Ultimate Destination

Curiosity’s ultimate goal is to explore the

lower reaches of the 5-km high Mount Sharp




Layers, Canyons, and Buttes of Mount Sharp

This boulder is the

size of Curiosity


Learn More about Curiosity

Mars Science Laboratory

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl

MSL for Scientists

http://msl-scicorner.jpl.nasa.gov

Mars Exploration Program

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov

Documents

Results from the - University of Washingtonearthweb.ess.washington.edu/space/ESS495/RSS_UW.pdf · 2013. 5. 9. · sol46 JakeMatijevic 30 min NASA/JPL-Caltech/U. Guelph APXS Spectra