NASA ’s Curiosity is set to make its historical landing this come Sunday , August 5 . Once settled , the scouter will get to work analyzing the Martian Earth’s surface and atmosphere for signs that the planet was once capable of harboring sprightliness — or might be again . But what does it mean to search for “ potential ” habitableness ?
To help us better understand the inner works of the roamer , we mouth togeobiologist Roger Summons , a prof at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an expert on the chemic signals of ancient life . He verbalize to us about how the rover will be able-bodied to do many of the thing that a material field scientist would do when value a particular orbit for life story .
“ In many respects , ” Summons enjoin io9 , “ Curiosity is a robotic geologist . ”
Martian habitableness
Summons made it clear flop from the outset that Curiosity is not capable of find biography on Mars — nor is it meant to .
alternatively , its job is to evaluate the Martian landscape painting and air for its potential to harbor biography at some item in the planet ’s past times .
In other words , it ’ll be evaluate Mars for its habitableness .
“ We experience that life has existed on Earth for the retiring 3.5 billion years , ” Summons read , “ but the signs of spirit are both rare and cryptic — not things like trilobites , leaves , or dinosaur bones — they ’re instead very elusive texture in rock and chemical signatures . ” Curiosity will be doing introductory geochemistry attend for these signature tune . He add , “ Once we have more geologic information , then we can start to make valid hypotheses about the other conditions for life on Mars . ” To get this information , Curiosity is set to explore some of the sometime aerofoil areas on Mars with its cameras and spectrometers .
Let ’s take a closer look at what these tools can do .
television camera
Of Curiosity ’s three cameras , two will be put to work for geobiological purposes .
The rover ’s Mastcam will be capable of take stereo color images and color video footage of the Martian terrain — and as per common , NASA scientists will be able to stitch together those grand panoramic vista of the landscape . In add-on to pleasing those of us back home , this tv camera will also help the scientists to visually survey the landscape and various object ( like rock ) for mark of habitableness .
Curiosity also has a camera mounted on one of its weaponry . This imager will allow for scientists to take a closelipped and targeted look at rocks to see textures , structures , and colour . Specifically , scientists want to see for grounds of layering in rock . “ These sorts of things give you clues about whether or not the materials in these rocks are being enchant by air or water , ” aver Summons , “ these factors will have different impact on habitableness . ”
And clear , any grounds of weewee ( both past and present ) holds serious implications for any assessment of life . “ All life requires water , ” note Summons , “ therefore grounds for the presence of swimming H2O is all-important — so we ’ll be looking for signs of the transport of deposit and mineral . ”
Spectrometers
Curiosity ’s spectroscopic arsenal is impressive .
Its basal tool is the Sample Analysis at Mars ( SAM ) organisation which takes up half the payload on display panel the scouter . It ’s a rooms of three different musical instrument , including a mass spectrometer , gas chromatograph , and tunable laser mass spectrometer .
SAM will look for and measure lighter ingredient such as hydrogen , atomic number 8 , and atomic number 7 — elements that are associated with life . The mountain spectrometer will dissever elements and compounds for identification and measurement , while the gasoline chromatograph will heat soil and rock samples . As for the laser mass spectrometer , it will measure the copiousness of various isotopes of C , hydrogen , and oxygen in atmospheric gases such as methane , water supply vapour , and carbon dioxide .
And yes , like the reliable field of study geologist that it is , Curiosity will be doing some of its own chemical analysis flop there on the spot . After train sample , it will conduct unlike experiment on careen , such as heating them mildly to develop different flatulence , such helium and Ar . “ By doing so you could deduce the eld of rocks , ” said Summons , “ and you could constrain timescales in this room — specially with argon . ”
In add-on to SAM , Curiosity is equipped with the Alpha Particle X - Ray Spectrometer ( to measure the abundance of chemic component in rocks ) , the ChemCam ( which will canvas rocks and soils from a distance by using laser ) , and the Chemistry and Mineralogy X - Ray Diffraction / X - Ray Fluorescence Instrument ( which will place and appraise abundance of various mineral on Mars ) .
Curiosity ’s lasers will be able-bodied to query rocks from a aloofness of intimately 10 meters . “ The optical maser can vaporize a lowly amount of rock in club to appraise its fussy spectrum and portray the bands for diagnostics of particular elements , ” tell Summons , “ that way we can get a expert apprehension of mineral composition in the rock’n’roll . ”
appear for clues
Currently , geologist make out that Mars is covered in basalt , which is part of the normal weathering operation . But what they ’re really interested in knowing is if Mars has anything like clay minerals or calcium carbonate — remnants that would be more closely consociate with biological processes .
“ We ’re really hop to find sign of water movements that could pack materials and make concentrations of things like organic matter which we could then query for signs associated with the conditions for life , ” said Summons .
peculiarity will also be measure the atmosphere for spectral signature , namely methane . In fact , as Summons told us , definitive proof that methane subsist on Mars would be an incredibly powerful indication that the planet was once inhabitable .
“ Methane has a special lifetime — about hundreds of age with a satellite like Earth , “ he said , “ so there has to be a source for methane , and it ’s typically organic life like bugs . ” So if methane is discover on Mars — and bidding is very dubious about this — the big interrogative will be , where did it come from ?
Looking at all this equipment , it ’s light that NASA has done a peachy job educate its robot geologist for the delegacy . digit are cross that the landing place go well on Sunday .
All images NASA .
AstrobiologyGeologyMarsScienceSpace
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