Spectrally distinct ejecta in Syrtis Major, Mars: Evidence for environmental change at the Hesperian-Amazonian boundary

Analysis of visible and near-infrared (VNIR) imaging spectrometer data of the Syrtis Major volcanic complex on Mars shows spectrally distinct ejecta (SDE) around a subset of the region's impact craters. We explore the nature of this spectral difference with the intention of constraining the physical cause of the distinction and the significance of their near random spatial distribution. Crater counting performed by Baratoux et al. (2007) indicated that the craters with SDE are systematically younger than craters without SDE. Extensive crater counts of the craters with SDE show that they fit a consistent Hartmann (2005) isochron indicting that they represent temporally continuous population. This population was dated near 2 Ga, consistent with the counts of Baratoux et al. (2007). This modeled age corresponds to just after the Hesperian-Amazonian boundary, indicating that it may be related to a global event. We explore possible explanations for the lack of SDE around older craters, including atmospheric changes, significant but brief regional emplacement of materials, and volcanic activity. We conclude that the preferred explanation is that the SDE represent the true composition of the Syrtis Major volcanics and that surfaces older than 2 Ga were altered by interactions with water vapor or volcanic gases under different Hesperian climatic and atmospheric conditions leading to all craters formed after this alteration event to display SDE

First Results from the Mojave Volatiles Prospector (MVP) Field Campaign, a Lunar Polar Rover Mission Analog

The Mojave Volatiles Prospector (MVP) project is a science-driven field program with the goal to produce critical knowledge for conducting robotic exploration of the Moon. MVP will feed science, payload, and operational lessons learned to the development of a real-time, short-duration lunar polar volatiles prospecting mission. MVP achieves these goals through a simulated lunar rover mission to investigate the composition and distribution of surface and subsurface volatiles in a natural and a priori unknown environment within the Mojave Desert, improving our understanding of how to find, characterize, and access volatiles on the Moon. The MVP field site is the Mojave Desert, selected for its low, naturally occurring water abundance. The Mojave typically has on the order of 2-6% water, making it a suitable lunar analog for this field test. MVP uses the Near Infrared and Visible Spectrometer Subsystem (NIRVSS), Neutron Spectrometer Subsystem (NSS), and a downward facing GroundCam camera on the KREX-2 rover to investigate the relationship between the distribution of volatiles and soil crust variation. Through this investigation, we mature robotic in situ instruments and concepts of instrument operations, improve ground software tools for real time science, and carry out publishable research on the water cycle and its connection to geomorphology and mineralogy in desert environments. A lunar polar rover mission is unlike prior space missions and requires a new concept of operations. The rover must navigate 3-5 km of terrain and examine multiple sites in in just ~6 days. Operational decisions must be made in real time, requiring constant situational awareness, data analysis and rapid turnaround decision support tools. This presentation will focus on the first science results and operational architecture findings from the MVP field deployment relevant to a lunar polar rover mission

Pre-Mission Input Requirements to Enable Successful Sample Collection by a Remote Field/EVA Team

We used a field excursion to the West Clearwater Lake Impact structure as an opportunity to test factors that contribute to the decisions a remote field team (for example, astronauts conducting extravehicular activities (EVA) on planetary surfaces) makes while collecting samples for return to Earth. We found that detailed background on the analytical purpose of the samples, provided to the field team, enables them to identify and collect samples that meet specific analytical objectives. However, such samples are not always identifiable during field reconnaissance activities, and may only be recognized after outcrop characterization and interpretation by crew and/or science team members. We therefore recommend that specific time be allocated in astronaut timeline planning to collect specialized samples, that this time follow human or robotic reconnaissance of the geologic setting, and that crew member training should include exposure to the laboratory techniques and analyses that will be used on the samples upon their return to terrestrial laboratories