Multiscale and multispectral characterization of mineralogy with the ExoMars 2020 rover remote sensing payload

This work was supported by the UK Space Agency (ST/P001297/1 and ST/P001394/1). Cousins also acknowledges the Royal Society of Edinburgh for funding.In 2020, the European Space Agency and Roscosmos will launch the ExoMars rover, with the scientific objective to detect evidence of life within the martian surface via the deployment of a 2 meter drill. The ExoMars Pasteur payload contains several imaging and spectroscopic instruments key to this objective: the Panoramic Camera (PanCam), Infrared Spectrometer for ExoMars (ISEM), and Close‐UP Imager (CLUPI). These instruments are able to collect data at a variety of spatial (sub‐mm to decimeter) and spectral (3.3 to 120 nm) resolutions across the 440 to 3300 nm wavelength range and collectively will form a picture of the geological and morphological characteristics of the surface terrain surrounding the rover. We deployed emulators of this instrument suite at terrestrial analog sites that formed in a range of aqueous environments to test their ability to detect and characterize science targets. We find that the emulator suite is able to effectively detect, characterize, and refine the compositions of multiple targets at working distances spanning from 2‐18 m. We report on: (i) the detection of hydrothermal alteration minerals including Fe‐smectites and gypsum from basaltic substrates, (ii) the detection of late‐stage diagenetic gypsum veins embedded in exposures of sedimentary mudstone, (iii) multispectral evidence of compositional differences detected from fossiliferous mudstones, and (iv) approaches to cross‐referencing multi‐scale and multi‐resolution data. These findings aid in the development of data products and analysis toolkits in advance of the ExoMars rover mission.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Examining the validity of the Athlete Engagement Questionnaire (AEQ) within a Portuguese sport setting

Sport psychology literature suggests that understanding engagement levels is pivotal to promote positive sporting experiences among athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Athlete Engagement Questionnaire among Portuguese sport athletes. Two distinct samples of Portuguese athletes from different competitive levels were collected, and the results of a confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated a good fit of the model to the data. A review of the psychometric properties indicated that all factors showed good composite reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. In addition, a multi-groups analysis showed the invariance of the model in two independent samples providing evidence of cross validity. Implications of these results for scholars and coaches are discussed and guidelines for future studies are suggested

Multiscale spectral discrimination of poorly-crystalline and intermixed alteration phases using aerial and ground-based ExoMars rover emulator data

This work was supported by the UK Space Agency (ST/P001297/1 and ST/P001394/1). AUPE3 data are available from http://exomars.wales.A key goal of the ExoMars rover Rosalind Franklin is to analyze accessible hydrated mineral deposits using panoramic multiscale and multispectral imagery. We conducted a multiscale spectroscopic study on hydrothermally-altered basalt-hosted soils in the geothermal area of Námafjall in northern Iceland. Basaltic lavas here that have experienced first-order geochemical alteration produce a variety of cm-to-meter scale poorly-crystalline alteration patterns. The resulting unconsolidated sediments provide a natural analogue material to investigate intimately mixed soils comprising multiple poorly-crystalline hydrated phases. We use emulator instruments which replicate the capabilities of the ExoMars 2022 Panoramic Camera (PanCam), the Infrared Spectrometer for ExoMars (ISEM), and the CLose-UP Imager (CLUPI), alongside Raman, aerial, and X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopic data to investigate how the detection of these mixed basalt-derived alteration phases varies as a function of spatial and spectral scale. We find soils at our study site to be comprised of unconsolidated sediments including Al-OH minerals, hydrated silica, and a variety of ferric oxides, all of which Rosalind Franklin will likely encounter along its traverse at Oxia Planum. We report on (i) the synergy and limitations between Mars rover instrument emulators as an integral part of mission preparation, (ii) how the mixed nature of these hydrothermally-altered soils affects resulting mineralogical interpretations at multiple scales, and (iii) geochemical inferences that can be made using ExoMars 2022 imaging emulators.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe