Watson Peat
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Watson Peat
OR:
Watson Peat on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) is an ultraviolet
Raman spectrometer Raman spectroscopy () (named after physicist C. V. Raman) is a spectroscopic technique typically used to determine vibrational modes of molecules, although rotational and other low-frequency modes of systems may also be observed. Raman spectros ...
that uses fine-scale imaging and an ultraviolet (UV) laser to determine fine-scale mineralogy, and detect
organic compound Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be any chemical compound that contains carbon. For example, carbon-co ...
s designed for the ''Perseverance'' rover as part of the
Mars 2020 Mars 2020 is a NASA mission that includes the rover ''Perseverance (rover), Perseverance'', the now-retired small robotic helicopter ''Ingenuity (helicopter), Ingenuity'', and associated delivery systems, as part of the Mars Exploration Progra ...
mission. It was constructed at the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) in La Cañada Flintridge, California, Crescenta Valley, United States. Founded in 1936 by Cali ...
with major subsystems being delivered from
Malin Space Science Systems Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) is a San Diego, California-based private technology company that designs, develops, and operates instruments and technical equipment to fly on uncrewed spacecraft. MSSS is headed by chief scientist and CEO Mich ...
and
Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory (often shortened as Los Alamos and LANL) is one of the sixteen research and development Laboratory, laboratories of the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, United States Department of Energy ...
. SHERLOC has a calibration target with possible
Mars suit A Mars suit or Mars space suit is a space suit for Extravehicular activity, EVAs on the planet Mars. Compared to a suit designed for space-walking in the near vacuum of low Earth orbit, Mars suits have a greater focus on actual walking and a need ...
materials, and it will measure how they change over time in the Martian surface environment.


Goals

According to a 2017 Universities Space Research Association (USRA) report:


Construction

There are three locations on the rover where SHERLOC components are located. The SHERLOC Turret Assembly (STA) is mounted at the end of the rover arm. The STA contains spectroscopy and imaging components. The SHERLOC Body Assembly (SBA) is located on the rover chassis and acts as the interface between the STA and the Mars 2020 rover. The SBA deals with command and data handling, along with power distribution. The SHERLOC Calibration Target (SCT) is located on the front of the rover chassis and hold spectral standards. SHERLOC consists of both imaging and spectroscopic elements. It has two imaging components consisting of heritage hardware from the MSL
MAHLI Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) is one of seventeen cameras on the Curiosity rover, ''Curiosity'' rover on the Mars Science Laboratory mission. Overview The instrument is mounted on the rover's robotic arm. It is primarily used to acquire micr ...
instrument. The Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering (WATSON) is a built to print re-flight that can generate color images over multiple scales. The other, Autofocus Context Imager (ACI), acts as the mechanism that allows the instrument to get a contextual image of a sample and to autofocus the laser spot for the spectroscopic part of the SHERLOC investigation. For Spectroscopy, it utilizes a NeCu laser to generate UV photons (248.6 nm) which can generate characteristic Raman and fluorescence photons from a scientifically interesting sample. The deep UV laser is co-boresighted to a context imager and integrated into an autofocusing/scanning optical system that allows correlation of spectral signatures to surface textures, morphology and visible features. The context imager has a spatial resolution of 30 μm and currently is designed to operate in the 400-500 nm wavelength range.


Results from Mars

Over the course of three years, SHERLOC and WATSON have been successfully collecting spectra and images of minerals and organics on the surface of Mars. Utilizing WATSON and ACI images, there was confirmation that the Jezero Crater floor consists of aqueously altered
mafic A mafic mineral or rock is a silicate mineral or igneous rock rich in magnesium and iron. Most mafic minerals are dark in color, and common rock-forming mafic minerals include olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite. Common mafic rocks include ...
material with various
igneous Igneous rock ( ), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rocks are formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava. The magma can be derived from partial ...
origins. In addition, WATSON has been used to collect selfies of the ''Perseverance'' rover and the Ingenuity helicopter. Recently, it successfully sealed and stored the first two rock samples from Mars. Because of it, We now know that these rocks derived from a volcanic environment, and that there was liquid water there in Mars's past, that formed salts that SHERLOC has seen.


See also

*
Composition of Mars The composition of Mars covers the branch of the geology of Mars that describes the make-up of the planet Mars. Elemental composition Mars is differentiated, which—for a terrestrial planet—implies that it has a central core made up of h ...
* ''Curiosity'' rover *
Exploration of Mars The planet Mars has been explored remotely by spacecraft. Uncrewed spacecraft, Probes sent from Earth, beginning in the late 20th century, have yielded a large increase in knowledge about the Martian system, focused primarily on understanding G ...
*
Geology of Mars The geology of Mars is the scientific study of the surface, crust, and interior of the planet Mars. It emphasizes the composition, structure, history, and physical processes that shape the planet. It is analogous to the field of terrestrial geo ...
*
List of rocks on Mars Martian rocks and outcrops have been studied ''in-situ'' by various landers and rovers. While many of the rocks identified on the Martian surface are similar to each other, some have been considered scientifically important or otherwise notabl ...
*
Mars Science Laboratory Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is a robotic spacecraft, robotic space probe mission to Mars launched by NASA on November 26, 2011, which successfully landed ''Curiosity (rover), Curiosity'', a Mars rover, in Gale (crater), Gale Crater on Augus ...
*
MOXIE Moxie is a brand of carbonated beverage that is among the first mass-produced soft drinks in the United States. It was created around 1876 by Augustin Thompson as a patent medicine called "Moxie Nerve Food" and was produced in Lowell, Massa ...
* PIXL *
Scientific information from the Mars Exploration Rover mission NASA's 2003 Mars Exploration Rover Mission has amassed an enormous amount of scientific information related to the Martian geology and atmosphere, as well as providing some astronomical observations from Mars. This article covers information g ...
*
Timeline of Mars Science Laboratory The Mars Science Laboratory and its rover, Curiosity rover, ''Curiosity'', were launched from Earth on 26 November 2011. As of , , ''Curiosity'' has been in Gale Crater on the Mars, planet Mars for Sol (day on Mars), sols ( days, total days; ...


References


External links


Mars 2020 Mission - Home Page - NASA/JPL
{{Portal bar, Astronomy, Biology, Solar System Scientific instruments Mars 2020 instruments Raman spectroscopy Spectrometers