RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 The Raman Laser Spectrometer for the ExoMars Rover Mission to Mars
A1 Rull Pérez, Fernando
A1 Sylvestre, Maurice
A1 Hutchinson, Ian
A1 Moral Inza, Andoni Gaizka
A1 Pérez, Carlos
A1 Díaz, Carlos
A1 Colombo, María
A1 Belenguer Dávila, Tomás
A1 López Reyes, Guillermo Eduardo
A1 Sansano Caramazana, Antonio
A1 Forni, Olivier
A1 Parot, Yann
A1 Striebig, Nicolas
A1 Woodward, Simon
A1 Howe, Chris
A1 Tarcea, Nicolau
A1 Rodríguez, Pablo
A1 Seoane, Laura
A1 Santiago, Amaia
A1 Rodríguez Prieto, Jose Antonio
A1 Medina García, Jesús
A1 Gallego, Paloma
A1 Canchal, Rosario
A1 Santamaría, Pilar
A1 Ramos, Gonzalo
A1 Vago, Jorge L.
AB The Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) on board the ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars 2020 mission will provideprecise identification of the mineral phases and the possibility to detect organics on the Red Planet. The RLSwill work on the powdered samples prepared inside the Pasteur analytical suite and collected on the surface andsubsurface by a drill system. Raman spectroscopy is a well-known analytical technique based on the inelasticscattering by matter of incident monochromatic light (the Raman effect) that has many applications in laboratoryand industry, yet to be used in space applications. Raman spectrometers will be included in two Marsrovers 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 laserthat controls the instrument functions; and (3) an optical head with an autofocus mechanism illuminating andcollecting the scattered light from the spot under investigation. The optical head is connected to the excitationlaser and the spectrometer by optical fibers. The instrument also has two targets positioned inside the roveranalytical laboratory for onboard Raman spectral calibration. The aim of this article was to present a detaileddescription of the RLS instrument, including its operation on Mars. To verify RLS operation before launch andto prepare science scenarios for the mission, a simulator of the sample analysis chain has been developed by theteam. The results obtained are also discussed. Finally, the potential of the Raman instrument for use in fieldconditions is addressed. By using a ruggedized prototype, also developed by our team, a wide range ofterrestrial analog sites across the world have been studied. These investigations allowed preparing a largecollection 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—Marsmineralogy and geochemistry—Search for life on Mars. Astrobiology 17, 627–654
YR 2017
FD 2017
LK http://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/35237
UL http://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/35237
LA eng
NO ASTROBIOLOGY, 2017, Vol. 17, n. 6-7, p. 627-654
DS UVaDOC
RD 18-nov-2024