2026-04-23T21:09:58Zhttps://uvadoc.uva.es/oai/request

oai:uvadoc.uva.es:10324/352372025-03-26T19:10:04Zcom_10324_1158com_10324_931com_10324_894col_10324_1242

Rull Pérez, Fernando Sylvestre, Maurice Hutchinson, Ian Moral Inza, Andoni Gaizka Pérez, Carlos Díaz, Carlos Colombo, María Belenguer Dávila, Tomás López Reyes, Guillermo Eduardo Sansano Caramazana, Antonio Forni, Olivier Parot, Yann Striebig, Nicolas Woodward, Simon Howe, Chris Tarcea, Nicolau Rodríguez, Pablo Seoane, Laura Santiago, Amaia Rodríguez Prieto, Jose Antonio Medina García, Jesús Gallego, Paloma Canchal, Rosario Santamaría, Pilar Ramos, Gonzalo Vago, Jorge L. The Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) on board the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars 2020 mission will provide precise identification of the mineral phases and the possibility to detect organics on the Red Planet. The RLS will work on the powdered samples prepared inside the Pasteur analytical suite and collected on the surface and subsurface by a drill system. Raman spectroscopy is a well-known analytical technique based on the inelastic scattering by matter of incident monochromatic light (the Raman effect) that has many applications in laboratory and industry, yet to be used in space applications. Raman spectrometers will be included in two Mars rovers scheduled to be launched in 2020. The Raman instrument for ExoMars 2020 consists of three main units: (1) a transmission spectrograph coupled to a CCD detector; (2) an electronics box, including the excitation laser that controls the instrument functions; and (3) an optical head with an autofocus mechanism illuminating and collecting the scattered light from the spot under investigation. The optical head is connected to the excitation laser and the spectrometer by optical fibers. The instrument also has two targets positioned inside the rover analytical laboratory for onboard Raman spectral calibration. The aim of this article was to present a detailed description of the RLS instrument, including its operation on Mars. To verify RLS operation before launch and to prepare science scenarios for the mission, a simulator of the sample analysis chain has been developed by the team. The results obtained are also discussed. Finally, the potential of the Raman instrument for use in field conditions is addressed. By using a ruggedized prototype, also developed by our team, a wide range of terrestrial analog sites across the world have been studied. These investigations allowed preparing a large collection of real, in situ spectra of samples from different geological processes and periods of Earth evolution. On this basis, we are working to develop models for interpreting analog processes on Mars during the mission. Key Words: Raman spectroscopy—ExoMars mission—Instruments and techniques—Planetary sciences—Mars mineralogy and geochemistry—Search for life on Mars. Astrobiology 17, 627–654 2019-03-26 2019-03-26 2017 info:eu-repo/semantics/article ASTROBIOLOGY, 2017, Vol. 17, n. 6-7, p. 627-654 http://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/35237 10.1089/ast.2016.1567 eng https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ast.2016.1567 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International