Performance characteristics of the PAW instrumentation on Beagle 2 (The astrobiology lander on ESA's Mars express mission)

M. R. Sims, D. Pullan, G. W. Fraser, S. Whitehead, J. Sykes, J. Holt, G. Butcher, N. Nelms, J. Dowson, D. Ross, C. Bicknell, M. Crocker, B. Favill, A. Wells, L. Richter, H. Kochan, H. Hamacher, L. Ratke, A. Griffiths, A. CoatesN. Phillips, A. Senior, J. Zarnecki, M. C. Towner, M. R. Leese, M. Patel, C. Wilson, N. Thomas, S. Hviid, J. L. Josset, G. Klingelhöfer, B. Bernhardt, P. Van Duijn, G. Sims, Kai Leung Yung

Research output: Journal article publicationConference articleAcademic researchpeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

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 languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)32-44
Number of pages13
JournalProceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Volume4859
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2002
EventInstruments, Methods, and Missions for Astrobiology V - Waikoloa, HI, United States
Duration: 22 Aug 200223 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

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Performance characteristics of the PAW instrumentation on Beagle 2 (The astrobiology lander on ESA's Mars express mission)'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this