Abstract
AbstractOn the upcoming Mars‐2020 rover two remote sensing instruments, Mastcam‐Z and SuperCam, and two microscopic proximity science instruments, Scanning for Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) and Planetary Instrument for X‐ray Lithochemistry (PIXL), will collect compositional (mineralogy, chemistry, and organics) data essential for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. The synergies between and limitations of these instruments were evaluated via study of a Mars analog field site in the Mojave desert, using instruments approximating the data that will be returned by Mars‐2020. A ground truth data set was generated for comparison to validate the results. The site consists of a succession of clay‐rich mudstones of lacustrine origin, interbedded tuffs, a carbonate‐silica travertine deposit, and gypsiferous mudstone strata. The major geological units were mapped successfully using simulated Mars‐2020 data. Simulated Mastcam‐Z data identified unit boundaries and Fe‐bearing weathering products. Simulated SuperCam passive shortwave infrared and green Raman data were essential in identifying major mineralogical composition and changes in lacustrine facies at distance; this was possible even with spectrally downsampled passive IR data. Laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy and simulated PIXL data discriminated and mapped major element chemistry. Simulated PIXL revealed millimeter‐scale zones enriched in zirconium, of interest for age dating. Scanning for SHERLOC‐like data mapped sulfate and carbonate at submillimeter scale; silicates were identified with increased laser pulses/spot or by averaging of hundreds of spectra. Fluorescence scans detected and mapped varied classes of organics in all samples, characterized further with follow‐on spatially targeted deep‐UV Raman spectra. Development of dedicated organics spectral libraries is needed to aid interpretation. Given these observations, the important units in the outcrop would be sampled and cached for sample return.
Highlights
The Mars‐2020 rover is an upcoming Mars Science Laboratory‐class rover with a similar design to the current Curiosity rover operating on the surface of Mars
Seven instruments were selected for the Mars‐2020 mission to address these objectives: Mastcam‐Z, a stereo multispectral imager; the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer, a weather station; the Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment, an in situ oxygen production experiment; the Planetary Instrument for X‐ray Lithochemistry (PIXL), a microfocus X‐ray fluorescence spectrometer; the Radar Imager for Mars' Subsurface Experiment, a ground‐penetrating radar; the Scanning for Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC), an autofocusing context imager and microfocus deep‐UV Raman and fluorescence spectrometer; and SuperCam, a set of spectrometers capable of remote laser induced breakdown, Raman, and reflectance spectroscopies, along with a remote microimager
To the right of the image, there is a massive dark brown unit containing a single thin, light‐toned bed which runs parallel to the large‐scale layering, suggesting that the MD unit may be laminated at a scale too fine to observe at the resolution of the simulated navigation cameras (Navcam) image (Figure 3)
Summary
The Mars‐2020 rover is an upcoming Mars Science Laboratory‐class rover with a similar design to the current Curiosity rover operating on the surface of Mars. Seven instruments were selected for the Mars‐2020 mission to address these objectives: Mastcam‐Z, a stereo multispectral imager; the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer, a weather station; the Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment, an in situ oxygen production experiment; the Planetary Instrument for X‐ray Lithochemistry (PIXL), a microfocus X‐ray fluorescence spectrometer; the Radar Imager for Mars' Subsurface Experiment, a ground‐penetrating radar; the Scanning for Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC), an autofocusing context imager and microfocus deep‐UV Raman and fluorescence spectrometer; and SuperCam, a set of spectrometers capable of remote laser induced breakdown, Raman, and reflectance spectroscopies, along with a remote microimager Four of these instruments (Mastcam‐Z, SuperCam, SHERLOC, and PIXL) enable detailed imaging at multiple scales and spectroscopic measurements that provide information on mineralogy, chemistry, and organics at meter scale to micrometer scale. The samples with the most potential for new discoveries will be cached for sample return, allowing thorough investigations to be conducted in laboratories on Earth
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