The Supercam Instrument Suite on the Mars 2020 Rover: Science Objectives and Mast-Unit Description

On the NASA 2020 rover mission to Jezero crater, the remote determination of the texture, mineralogy and chemistry of rocks is essential to quickly and thoroughly characterize an area and to optimize the selection of samples for return to Earth. As part of the Perseverance payload, SuperCam is a suite of five techniques that provide critical and complementary observations via Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), Time-Resolved Raman and Luminescence (TRR/L), visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (VISIR), high-resolution color imaging (RMI), and acoustic recording (MIC). SuperCam operates at remote distances, primarily 2–7 m, while providing data at sub-mm to mm scales. We report on SuperCam’s science objectives in the context of the Mars 2020 mission goals and ways the different techniques can address these questions. The instrument is made up of three separate subsystems: the Mast Unit is designed and built in France; the Body Unit is provided by the United States; the calibration target holder is contributed by Spain, and the targets themselves by the entire science team. This publication focuses on the design, development, and tests of the Mast Unit; companion papers describe the other units. The goal of this work is to provide an understanding of the technical choices made, the constraints that were imposed, and ultimately the validated performance of the flight model as it leaves Earth, and it will serve as the foundation for Mars operations and future processing of the data

The SuperCam Instrument Suite on the Mars 2020 Rover: Science Objectives and Mast-Unit Description

On the NASA 2020 rover mission to Jezero crater, the remote determination of the texture, mineralogy and chemistry of rocks is essential to quickly and thoroughly characterize an area and to optimize the selection of samples for return to Earth. As part of the Perseverance payload, SuperCam is a suite of five techniques that provide critical and complementary observations via Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), Time-Resolved Raman and Luminescence (TRR/L), visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (VISIR), high-resolution color imaging (RMI), and acoustic recording (MIC). SuperCam operates at remote distances, primarily 2-7 m, while providing data at sub-mm to mm scales. We report on SuperCam's science objectives in the context of the Mars 2020 mission goals and ways the different techniques can address these questions. The instrument is made up of three separate subsystems: the Mast Unit is designed and built in France; the Body Unit is provided by the United States; the calibration target holder is contributed by Spain, and the targets themselves by the entire science team. This publication focuses on the design, development, and tests of the Mast Unit; companion papers describe the other units. The goal of this work is to provide an understanding of the technical choices made, the constraints that were imposed, and ultimately the validated performance of the flight model as it leaves Earth, and it will serve as the foundation for Mars operations and future processing of the data.In France was provided by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). Human resources were provided in part by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and universities. Funding was provided in the US by NASA's Mars Exploration Program. Some funding of data analyses at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) was provided by laboratory-directed research and development funds

Micro-Ares, An electric field sensor for ExoMars 2016

International audienceFor the past few years, LATMOS has been involved in the development of Micro-ARES, an electric field sensor part of the science payload (DREAMS) of the ExoMars 2016 Schiaparelli entry, descent and landing demonstrator module (EDM). It is dedicated to the very first measurement and characterization of the Martian atmospheric electricity

The WISDOM radar on board the ExoMars 2022 Rover: Characterization and calibration of the flight model

International audienceThe ground penetrating radar WISDOM on board the Rover of the ExoMars 2022 mission (ESA/Roscosmos) will be a pioneer in the exploration of the Martian subsurface from the surface (until now, Martian sounding radars have been operated from orbit). WISDOM will image the first meters below the surface of Oxia Planum — the ExoMars 2022 landing site — with the objectives of revealing its geological history and identifying safe and promising scientific targets for subsurface sampling by the Rover drill. In this paper, we present the qualification, characterization and calibration tests that have been conducted on WISDOM flight model in order to assess its performance, build the data processing pipeline and prepare scientific return of this experiment. In most favorable but geologically plausible cases (low loss and homogeneous subsurface, smooth interface), WISDOM can detect a buried interface down to a depth of 8 m with a vertical resolution of 3 cm (for a subsurface dielectric constant of 4). Its penetration depth is typically 2 m in less favorable environments. For safety reason, WISDOM antennas are accommodated 38 cm above the ground; the amplitude of the surface echo will be used to estimate the top layer dielectric constant with an accuracy of 13% which translates into an accuracy of 6% on the distance/depth assessment. WISDOM data processing chain includes corrections aiming at removing parasitic signals of various origins (electronic coupling, antenna crosstalk, multiple surface echoes, etc.) and at correcting the data to a reference temperature and antenna elevation; it has been designed to automatically produce calibrated radargrams in less than 20 min as required for the mission operations. Additional more sophisticated processing will be manually run in parallel. The impact of the Rover structure on measurements has been investigated and can be partially removed

The DREAMS experiment on the ExoMars 2016 mission for the study of Martian environment during the dust storm season

The ExoMars programme, which is carried out by European Space Agency (ESA) in cooperation with the Russian federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), foresees a two-steps mission to Mars. The first mission consists of an orbiter and an Entry Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM) to be launched in January 2016 and is scheduled to land on the planet during the statistical dust storm season; the second mission includes a descent module, a surface platform and a rover and will be launched in 2018. The DREAMS (Dust characterization, Risk assessment and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface) experiment for ExoMars 2016 is an autonomous meteorological station designed to study the effect of dust on Martian environment which will operate for two Martian days (sols) relying on its own power supply after landing. DREAMS includes a suite of sensors able to analyse temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction and solar irradiance as well as an electric field probe which will perform the first electrical characterization of Mars surface atmosphere. © 2014 IEEE

Rapid and efficient synthesis of [11C]ureas via the incorporation of [11C]CO2 into aliphatic and aromatic amines

International audienceThe ExoMars programme, which is carried out by European Space Agency (ESA) in cooperation with the Russian federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), foresees a two-steps mission to Mars. The first mission consists of an orbiter and an Entry Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM) to be launched in January 2016 and is scheduled to land on the planet during the statistical dust storm season; the second mission includes a descent module, a surface platform and a rover and will be launched in 2018. The DREAMS (Dust characterization, Risk assessment and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface) experiment for ExoMars 2016 is an autonomous meteorological station designed to study the effect of dust on Martian environment which will operate for two Martian days (sols) relying on its own power supply after landing. DREAMS includes a suite of sensors able to analyse temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction and solar irradiance as well as an electric field probe which will perform the first electrical characterization of Mars surface atmosphere

The DREAMS experiment flown on the ExoMars 2016 mission for the study of Martian environment during the dust storm season

International audienceThe DREAMS (Dust characterization, Risk assessment and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface) experiment on Schiaparelli lander of ExoMars 2016 mission was an autonomous meteorological station designed to completely characterize the Martian atmosphere on surface, acquiring data not only on temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction, but also on solar irradiance, dust opacity and atmospheric electrification, to measure for the first time key parameters linked to hazard conditions for future manned explorations. Although with very limited mass and energy resources, DREAMS would be able to operate autonomously for at least two Martian days (sols) after landing in a very harsh environment as it was supposed to land on Mars during the dust storm season (October 2016 in Meridiani Planum) relying on its own power supply. ExoMars mission was successfully launched on 14th March 2016 and Schiaparelli entered the Mars atmosphere on October 20th beginning its ‘six minutes of terror’ journey to the surface. Unfortunately, some unexpected behavior during the parachuted descent caused an unrecoverable critical condition in navigation system of the lander driving to a destructive crash on the surface. The adverse sequence of events at 4 km altitude triggered the transition of the lander in surface operative mode, commanding switch on the DREAMS instrument, which was therefore able to correctly power on and send back housekeeping data. This proved the nominal performance of all DREAMS hardware before touchdown demonstrating the highest TRL of the unit for future missions. This paper describes this experiment in terms of scientific goals, design, performances, testing and operational capabilities with an overview of in flight performances and available mission data

The DREAMS experiment flown on the ExoMars 2016 mission for the study of Martian environment during the dust storm season

The DREAMS (Dust characterization, Risk assessment and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface) experiment on Schiaparelli lander of ExoMars 2016 mission was an autonomous meteorological station designed to completely characterize the Martian atmosphere on surface, acquiring data not only on temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction, but also on solar irradiance, dust opacity and atmospheric electrification, to measure for the first time key parameters linked to hazard conditions for future manned explorations. Although with very limited mass and energy resources, DREAMS would be able to operate autonomously for at least two Martian days (sols) after landing in a very harsh environment as it was supposed to land on Mars during the dust storm season (October 2016 in Meridiani Planum) relying on its own power supply. ExoMars mission was successfully launched on 14th March 2016 and Schiaparelli entered the Mars atmosphere on October 20th beginning its `six minutes of terror' journey to the surface. Unfortunately, some unexpected behavior during the parachuted descent caused an unrecoverable critical condition in navigation system of the lander driving to a destructive crash on the surface. The adverse sequence of events at 4 km altitude triggered the transition of the lander in surface operative mode, commanding switch on the DREAMS instrument, which was therefore able to correctly power on and send back housekeeping data. This proved the nominal performance of all DREAMS hardware before touchdown demonstrating the highest TRL of the unit for future missions. This paper describes this experiment in terms of scientific goals, design, performances, testing and operational capabilities with an overview of in flight performances and available mission data

The DREAMS experiment on the ExoMars 2016 mission for the study of Martian environment during the dust storm season

International audienceThe ExoMars programme, which is carried out by European Space Agency (ESA) in cooperation with the Russian federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), foresees a two-steps mission to Mars. The first mission consists of an orbiter and an Entry Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM) to be launched in January 2016 and is scheduled to land on the planet during the statistical dust storm season; the second mission includes a descent module, a surface platform and a rover and will be launched in 2018. The DREAMS (Dust characterization, Risk assessment and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface) experiment for ExoMars 2016 is an autonomous meteorological station designed to study the effect of dust on Martian environment which will operate for two Martian days (sols) relying on its own power supply after landing. DREAMS includes a suite of sensors able to analyse temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction and solar irradiance as well as an electric field probe which will perform the first electrical characterization of Mars surface atmosphere