Abstract
The performance of the PAW instrumentation on the 60kg Beagle 2 lander for ESA's 2003 Mars Express mission will be described. Beagle 2 will search for organic material on and below the surface of Mars in addition to a study of the inorganic chemistry and mineralogy of the landing site. The lander will utilise acquisition and preparation tools to obtain samples from below the surface, and both under and inside rocks. In situ analysis will include examination of samples with an optical microscope, Mossbauer and fluorescent X-ray spectrometers. Extracted samples will be returned to the lander for analysis, in particular a search for organics and a measurement of their isotopic composition. The PAW experiment performance data will be described along with the status of the project.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 32-44 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
Volume | 4859 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2002 |
Event | Instruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology V - Waikoloa, HI, United States Duration: 22 Aug 2002 → 23 Aug 2002 |
Keywords
- Astrobiology
- Geochemistry
- Instrumentation
- Mars
- Mars exploration
- Mars express mission
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Computer Science Applications
- Applied Mathematics
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering