Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “alpha particle”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 757 records · Page 42
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

Alumina+Silica+/-Germanium Alteration in Smectite-Bearing Marathon Valley, Endeavour Crater Rim, Mars

Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has been exploring Mars for 12+ years, and is presently investigating the geology of a western rim segment of 22 kilometers diameter, Noachian- aged Endeavour crater. The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer has determined the compositions of a pre-impact lithology, the Matijevic fm., and polymict impact breccias ejected from the crater, the Shoemaker fm. Opportunity is now investigating a region named Marathon Valley that cuts southwest-northeast through the central portion of the rim segment and provides a window into the lower stratigraphic record. (Geographic names used here are informal.) At the head of Marathon Valley, referred to here as Upper Marathon Valley, is a shallow, ovoid depression approximately 25×35 millimeters in size, named Spirit of Saint Louis. Layering inside Spirit of Saint Louis appears continuous with the Upper Marathon Valley rocks outside, indicating they are coeval. Spirit of Saint Louis is partly bounded by approximately 10-20 centimeters wide zone containing reddish altered rocks (red zone). Red zones also form prominent curvilinear features in Marathon Valley. Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) spectra provide evidence for a really extensive Fe-Mg smectite in the Marathon Valley region, indicating distinct styles of aqueous alteration. The CRISM detections of smectites are based on metal-OH absorptions at approximately 2.3 and 2.4 micron that are at least two times the background noise level.

Mittlefehldt, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Cementation and Aqueous Alteration of a Sandstone Unit Under Acidic Conditions in Gale Crater, Mars

The Curiosity rover landed on Mars in August 2012 to explore the sedimentary history and to assess the habitability of Gale Crater. After 1200 sols of surface operations and over 12 km of traverse distance, the mineralogy of 10 samples has been determined by the CheMin X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and the chemical composition of nearly 300 targets has been established by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS). Light-toned fracture zones containing elevated concentrations of silica have been studied by Curiosity's instruments to determine the nature of the fluids that resulted in the enrichment of SiO2. Multiple fluid exposures are evident, and the chemistry and mineralogy data indicate at least two aqueous episodes may have occurred under acidic conditions.

Yen, A. S.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Phosphate Stability in Diagenetic Fluids Constrains the Acidic Alteration Model for Lower Mt. Sharp Sedimentary Rocks in Gale Crater, Mars

The Mars rover Curiosity has encountered silica-enriched bedrock (as strata and as veins and associated halos of alteration) in the largely basaltic Murray Fm. of Mt. Sharp in Gale Crater. Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) investigations of the Murray Fm. revealed decreasing Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, and Al, and higher S, as silica increased (Fig. 1). A positive correlation between SiO2 and TiO2 (up to 74.4 and 1.7 wt %, respectively) suggests that these two insoluble elements were retained while acidic fluids leached more soluble elements. Other evidence also supports a silica-retaining, acidic alteration model for the Murray Fm., including low trace element abundances consistent with leaching, and the presence of opaline silica and jarosite determined by CheMin. Phosphate stability is a key component of this model because PO4 3- is typically soluble in acidic water and is likely a mobile ion in diagenetic fluids (pH less than 5). However, the Murray rocks are not leached of P; they have variable P2O5 (Fig. 1) ranging from average Mars (0.9 wt%) up to the highest values in Gale Crater (2.5 wt%). Here we evaluate APXS measurements of Murray Fm. bedrock and veins with respect to phosphate stability in acidic fluids as a test of the acidic alteration model for the Lower Mt. Sharp rocks.

Berger, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Authigenesis/Diagenesis of the Murray Formation Mudstone in Gale Crater, Mars

The Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity has been exploring sedimentary deposits in Gale crater since August, 2012. The rover has traversed up section through approximately 150 m of sedimentary rocks deposited in fluvial, deltaic, and lacustrine environments (Bradbury group and overlying Mount Sharp group). The Murray formation lies at the base of the Mt. Sharp group and has been interpreted to be a finely laminated mudstone likely deposited in a subaqueous lacustrine environment. Four drill samples from several elevations in the Murray fm have been acquired by the rover's sampling system and delivered to the CheMin XRD instrument. The lower section of the Murray fm contains 2:1 phyllosilicate(s), hematite, jarosite, XRD amorphous materials, and primary basaltic minerals. Further up section, the Murray fm contains magnetite, cristobalite, tridymite, abundant Si-rich XRD amorphous materials along with plagioclase and K-feldspars. Murray formation materials appear to have been altered under an open hydrologic system based on the bulk chemistry of these materials measured by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS). The 2:1 phyllosilicate only occurs in the lowermost section of the Murray fm and may be detrital or formed during authigenesis of Murray fm materials, similar to the Fe-saponite and magnetite detected in a mudstone in the Yellowknife Bay fm near Curiosity's landing site (stratigraphically at the base of the Bradbury group). The occurrence of jarosite and hematite in the lower section indicates an acidic diagenetic event. These phases may have formed via several acidic alteration mechanisms, including (1) oxidative weathering of mafic igneous rocks containing sulfides; (2) sulfuric acid weathering of Fe-bearing phases; and (3) near-neutral pH subsurface solutions rich in Fe2(+) that were rapidly oxidized to Fe3(+), which produced excess acidity. The transition from abundant hematite in the lowermost Murray fm to magnetite moving up section may indicate changes in lake chemistry, i.e., variable redox conditions, possibly during authigenesis or subsequent diagenetic events. Tridymite, a high temperature mineral, (and possibly cristobalite) is detrital, potentially deposited in a lake from a distal silicic volcanic rock source or from crustal materials present prior to the Gale Crater impact event. Abundant Si-rich XRD amorphous materials in the upper sections of the Murray fm may be detrital or an aqueous alteration product of primary igneous phases and phyllosilicates. Curiosity's science team is still deciphering the authigenesis and diagenetic events that formed the Murray fm. The mineralogy and geochemistry of the formation suggest a complicated history with several (many?) episodes of aqueous alteration under a variety of environmental conditions.

Ming, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Electromagnetic Dissociation Cross Sections for High LET Fragments

Nuclear interaction cross sections are used in space radiation transport codes to calculate the probability of fragment emission in high energy nucleus-nucleus collisions. Strong interactions usually dominate in these collisions, but electromagnetic (EM) interactions can also sometimes be important. Strong interactions typically occur when the projectile nucleus hits a target nucleus, with a small impact parameter. For impact parameters larger than the sum of the nuclear radii, EM reactions dominate and the process is called electromagnetic dissociation (EMD) if one of the nuclei undergo fragmentation. Previous models of EMD have been used to calculate single proton (p) production, single neutron (n) production or light ion production, where a light ion is defined as an isotope of hydrogen (H) or helium (He), such as a deuteron (2H), a triton (3H), a helion (3He) or an alpha particle (4He). A new model is described which can also account for multiple nucleon production, such as 2p, 2n, 1p1n, 2p1n, 2p2n, etc. in addition to light ion production. Such processes are important to include for the following reasons. Consider, for example, the EMD reaction 56Fe + Al --> 52Cr + X + Al, for a 56Fe projectile impacting Al, which produces the high linear energy transfer (LET) fragment 52Cr. In this reaction, the most probable particles representing X are either 2p2n or 4He. Therefore, production of the high LET fragment 52Cr, must include the multiple nucleon production of 2p2n in addition to the light ion production of 4He. Previous models, such as the NUCFRG3 model, could only account for the 4He production process in this reaction and could not account for 2p2n. The new EMD model presented in this work accounts for both the light ion and multiple nucleon processes, and is therefore able to correctly account for the production of high LET products such as 52Cr. The model will be described and calculations will be presented that show the importance of light ion and multiple nucleon production. The work will also show that EMD reactions contribute most to those fragments with the highest LET.

Norbury, John↗
NASA NTRS2016

Acid Sulfate Alteration in Gusev Crater, Mars

The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit landed on the Gusev Crater plains west of the Columbia Hills in January, 2004, during the Martian summer (sol 0; sol = 1 Martian day = 24 hr 40 min). Spirit explored the Columbia Hills of Gusev Crater in the vicinity of Home Plate at the onset on its second winter (sol approximately 900) until the onset of its fourth winter (sol approximately 2170). At that time, Spirit became mired in a deposit of fined-grained and sulfate-rich soil with dust-covered solar panels and unfavorable pointing of the solar arrays toward the sun. Spirit has not communicated with the Earth since sol 2210 (January, 2011). Like its twin rover Opportunity, which landed on the opposite side of Mars at Meridiani Planum, Spirit has an Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument for chemical analyses and a Moessbauer spectrometer (MB) for measurement of iron redox state, mineralogical speciation, and quantitative distribution among oxidation (Fe(3+)/sigma Fe) and coordination (octahedral versus tetrahedral) states and mineralogical speciation (e.g., olivine, pyroxene, ilmenite, carbonate, and sulfate). The concentration of SO3 in Gusev rocks and soils varies from approximately 1 to approximately 34 wt%. Because the APXS instrument does not detect low atomic number elements (e.g., H and C), major-element oxide concentrations are normalized to sum to 100 wt%, i.e., contributions of H2O, CO2, NO2, etc. to the bulk composition care not considered. The majority of Gusev samples have approximately 6 plus or minus 5 wt% SO3, but there is a group of samples with high SO3 concentrations (approximately 30 wt%) and high total iron concentrations (approximately 20 wt%). There is also a group with low total Fe and SO3 concentrations that is also characterized by high SiO2 concentrations (greater than 70 wt%). The trend labeled "Basaltic Soil" is interpreted as mixtures in variable proportions between unaltered igneous material and oxidized and SO3-rich basaltic dust. The Moessbauer parameters are not definitive for mineralogical speciation (other than octahedrally-coordinated Fe(3+) but are consistent with a schwertmannite-like phase (i.e., a nanophase ferric oxide). The high oxidation state and values of Moessbauer parameters (center shift and quadrupole splitting) for the high-SO3 samples imply ferric sulfate (i.e., oxidized sulfur), although the hydration state cannot be constrained. In no case is there an excess of SO3 over available cations (i.e., no evidence for elemental sulfur), and Fe sulfide (pyrite) has been detected in only one Gusev sample. The presence of both high-SiO2 (and low total iron and SO3) and high SO3 (and high total iron as ferric sulfate) can be accommodated by a two-step geochemical model developed with the Geochemist's Workbench. (1) Step 1 is anoxic acid sulfate leaching of Martian basalt at high water-to rock ratios (greater than 70). The result is a high-SiO2 residue0, and anoxic conditions are required to solubilize Fe as Fe(2+). (2) Step 2 is the oxic precipitation of sulfate salts from the leachate. Oxic conditions are required to produce the high concentrations of ferric sulfate with minor Mg-sulfates and no detectable Fe(2+)-sulfates.

Morris, R. V.↗
NASA NTRS2016

The Design, Implementation, and Performance of the Astro-H SXS Calorimeter Array and Anti-Coincidence Detector

The calorimeter array of the JAXA Astro-H (renamed Hitomi) Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) was designed to provide unprecedented spectral resolution of spatially extended cosmic x-ray sources and of all cosmic x-ray sources in the Fe-K band around 6 keV, enabling essential plasma diagnostics. The SXS has a square array of 36 microcalorimeters at the focal plane. These calorimeters consist of ion-implanted silicon thermistors and HgTe thermalizing x-ray absorbers. These devices have demonstrated a resolution of better than 4.5 eV at 6 keV when operated at a heat-sink temperature of 50 mK. We will discuss the basic physical parameters of this array, including the array layout, thermal conductance of the link to the heat sink, resistance function, absorber details, and means of attaching the absorber to the thermistor-bearing element. We will also present the thermal characterization of the whole array, including thermal conductance and crosstalk measurements and the results of pulsing the frame temperature via alpha particles, heat pulses, and the environmental background. A silicon ionization detector is located behind the calorimeter array and serves to reject events due to cosmic rays. We will briefly describe this anti-coincidence detector and its performance.

x-ray calorimeter↗
NASA NTRS2016

Localized and Areally Extensive Alterations in Marathon Valley, Endeavour Crater Rim, Mars

Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is exploring the rim of 22 km diameter, Noachian-aged Endeavour crater. Marathon Valley cuts through the central region of the western rim providing a window into the local lower rim stratigraphic record. Spectra from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars show evidence for the occurrence of Fe-Mg smectite in this valley, indicating areally extensive and distinct lithologic units and/or styles of aqueous alteration. The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer has determined the compositions of 59 outcrop targets on untreated, brushed and abraded surfaces. Rocks in the Marathon Valley region are soft breccias composed of mm- to cm-sized darker clasts set in a lighter-toned, finegrained matrix. They are basaltic in non-volatile-element composition and compositionally similar to breccias investigated elsewhere on the rim. Alteration styles recorded in the rocks include: (1) Enrichments in Si, Al, Ti and Cr in more reddish-colored rock, consistent with leaching of more soluble cations and/or precipitation of Si +/- Al, Ti, Cr from fluids. Coprecipitation of Ge-rich phases with Si occurred in the western area only; high water:rock is indicated. Pancam multispectral observations indicate higher nanophase ferric oxide contents, but the rocks have lower Fe contents. The highly localized nature of the red zones indicate they cannot be the source of the widespread smectite signature observed from orbit. (2) Outcrops separated by approximately 65 m show common compositional changes between brushed and abraded (approximately 1 mm deep) targets: increases in S and Mg; decreases in Al, Cl and Ca. These changes are likely due to relatively recent, surface-related alteration of valley rocks and formation of surface coatings under low water:rock. (3) One target, from the center of a region of strong CRISM smectite signature, shows modest differences in composition (higher Si, K; lower Mn) compared to most Marathon Valley rocks, while another target approximately 40 cm away on the same outcrop does not; a change towards smectite bulk compositions is not observed. The smectite signature likely resulted from alteration under low water:rock such that primary minerals were partially altered to phyllosilicates, but wholesale leaching of cations by fluids did not occur.

Mittlefehldt, David W.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Similarities Across Mars: Acidic Fluids at Both Meridiani Planum and Gale Crater in the Formation of Magnesium-Nickel Sulfates

In-situ identification of sulfates at the martian surface by the Mars Exploration Rovers and the Mars Science Laboratory have included calcium sulfates with various states of hydration (gypsum, bassanite, anhydrite), iron sulfates of likely fumarolic origin, massive deposits of iron hydroxysulfates indicative of an acidic history, and minor occurrences of magnesium sulfates. Recent measurements by the Opportunity and Curiosity Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometers (APXS) have indicated the presence of Ni-substituted Mg-sulfates at the Meridiani Planum and Gale Crater landing sites. The Opportunity rover has traversed nearly 43 km and is currently exploring the impact breccias of the rim of Endeavour crater, near a location where signatures of aqueous alteration have been established from orbit. APXS analyses of subsurface materials excavated by a rover wheel show clear evidence for a Mg(Ni)-sulfate with Mg:Ni (is) approximately 100:1 (molar). On the other side of the planet, Curiosity is continuing its climb up Mount Sharp after driving (is) approximately 13 km since landing. Over the last 4 km of the traverse, there have been multiple chemical analyses of erosionally-resistant nodules and dendritic features in a finely laminated mudstone unit which also indicate Mg(Ni)-sulfate (Mg:Ni (is) approximately 30:1, molar). The geologic settings for the Endeavour rim and the Mount Sharp mudstones are clearly different, but similar formation conditions for these sulfates may be possible. Ni(2+) readily substitutes for Mg(2+) in a variety of geochemical processes due to their comparable ionic radii. The availability of soluble Ni at the time of Mg-sulfate precipitation suggests acidic solutions. The fluids responsible for alteration in the Endeavour rim and for the formation of nodules in Gale mudstones may have had similar chemical characteristics at the time the Mg-sulfates were formed.

Yen, Albert S.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Full Field X-Ray Fluorescence Imaging Using Micro Pore Optics for Planetary Surface Exploration

Many planetary surface processes leave evidence as small features in the sub-millimetre scale. Current planetary X-ray fluorescence spectrometers lack the spatial resolution to analyse such small features as they only provide global analyses of areas greater than 100 mm(exp 2). A micro-XRF spectrometer will be deployed on the NASA Mars 2020 rover to analyse spots as small as 120m. When using its line-scanning capacity combined to perpendicular scanning by the rover arm, elemental maps can be generated. We present a new instrument that provides full-field XRF imaging, alleviating the need for precise positioning and scanning mechanisms. The Mapping X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer - "Map-X" - will allow elemental imaging with approximately 100μm spatial resolution and simultaneously provide elemental chemistry at the scale where many relict physical, chemical and biological features can be imaged in ancient rocks. The arm-mounted Map-X instrument is placed directly on the surface of an object and held in a fixed position during measurements. A 25x25 mm(exp 2) surface area is uniformly illuminated with X-rays or alpha-particles and gamma-rays. A novel Micro Pore Optic focusses a fraction of the emitted X-ray fluorescence onto a CCD operated at a few frames per second. On board processing allows measuring the energy and coordinates of each X-ray photon collected. Large sets of frames are reduced into 2d histograms used to compute higher level data products such as elemental maps and XRF spectra from selected regions of interest. XRF spectra are processed on the ground to further determine quantitative elemental compositions. The instrument development will be presented with an emphasis on the characterization and modelling of the X-ray focussing Micro Pore Optic. An outlook on possible alternative XRF imaging applications will be discussed.

micro-XRF spectrometer↗
NASA NTRS2017

Hawai'i and Gale Crater: A Mars Analogue Study of Igneous, Sedimentary, Weathering, and Alteration Trends in Geochemistry

Sedimentary rocks in Gale Crater on Mars indicate a varied provenance with a range of alteration and weathering [1, 2]. Geochemical trends identified in basaltic and alkalic sedimentary rocks by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) on the Mars rover Curiosity represent a complex interplay of igneous, sedimentary, weathering, and alteration processes. Assessing the relative importance of these processes is challenging with unknown compositions for parent sediment sources and with the constraints provided by Curiosity's instruments. We therefore look to Mars analogues on Earth where higher-resolution analyses and geologic context can constrain interpretations of Gale Crater geochemical observations. We selected Maunakea (AKA Mauna Kea) and Kohala volcanoes, Hawai'i, for an analogue study because they are capped by post-shield transitional basalts and alkalic lavas (hawaiites, mugearites) with compositions similar to Gale Crater [1, 3]. Our aim was to characterize Hawaiian geochemical trends associated with igneous processes, sediment transport, weathering, and alteration. Here, we present initial results and discuss implications for selected trends observed by APXS in Gale Crater.

Berger, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS2017

X-Ray Amorphous Phases in Terrestrial Analog Volcanic Sediments: Implications for Amorphous Phases in Gale Crater, Mars

X-ray diffraction (XRD) amorphous phases have been found as major components (approx.15-60 wt%) of all rock and soil samples measured by the CheMin XRD instrument in Gale Crater, Mars. The nature of these phases is not well understood and could be any combination of primary (e.g., glass) and secondary (e.g., allophane) phases. Amorphous phases form in abundance during surface weathering on Earth. Yet, these materials are poorly characterized, and it is not certain how properties like composition and structure change with formation environment. The presence of poorly crystalline phases can be inferred from XRD patterns by the appearance of a low angle rise (< or approx.10deg 2(theta)) or broad peaks in the background at low to moderate 2(theta) angles (amorphous humps). CheMin mineral abundances combined with bulk chemical composition measurements from the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) have been used to estimate the abundance and composition of the XRD amorphous materials in soil and rock samples on Mars. Here we apply a similar approach to a diverse suite of terrestrial samples - modern soils, glacial sediments, and paleosols - in order to determine how formation environment, climate, and diagenesis affect the abundance and composition of X-ray amorphous phases.

Smith, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Pancam Multispectral and APXS Chemical Examination of Rocks and Soils in Marathon Valley and Points South Along the Rim of Endeavour Crater

The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has concluded its exploration of Marathon Valley, a 100-meter-wide valley in the western rim of the 22-kilometer-diameter Endeavour crater. Orbital observations from CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars) indicated the presence of Fe smectites in Marathon Valley. Since leaving the valley, Opportunity has been traversing along the inner rim of the crater, and currently towards the outer rim. This presentation describes the Pancam 430 to 1009 nanometer (VNIR - Visible and Near Infared) multispectral reflectance and APXS (Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer) chemical compositions of rock and soil units observed during the latter portions of the Marathon Valley campaign on the Knudson Ridge area and observations of those materi-als along the traverse to the south. Full Pancam spectral coverage of rock targets consists of 13 filter (13f) data collections with 11 spectrally unique channels with data processing. Data were examined using spectral parameters, decorrelation stretch composites, and spectral mixture analysis. Note that color terms used here refer to colors in various false-color renditions, not true colors. The APXS determines major and select trace element compositions of targets.

Farrand, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Constraining the Origin of Basaltic Volcanic Rocks Observed by Opportunity Along the Rim of Endeavour Crater

The Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity continues its exploration along the rim of Endeavour Crater. While the primary focus for investigation has been to seek evidence of aqueous alteration, Opportunity has observed a variety of rock types, including some that are hard and relatively unaltered. These rocks tend to occur most commonly as "float rocks" or "erratics" where the geologic setting does not clearly reveal their origin. Along the rim of Endeavour crater (Fig. 1), such rocks, commonly noted in Panoramic Camera (Pancam) left eye composites as "blue rocks", are abundant components of some of the Endeavour crater rim deposits, scree slopes, and colluvium deposits. In this abstract, we examine the similarity of several of these rocks analyzed using Opportunity's Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS), images and color from the Pancam, and textures observed with the Microscopic Imager (MI. At issue is the blue rocks origin; are they impact melt or volcanic, what is their age relative to Endeavour crater, and how they are related to each other?

Bouchard, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Discordant K-Ar and Young Exposure Dates for the Windjana Sandstone, Kimberley, Gale Crater, Mars

K-Ar and noble gas surface exposure age measurements were carried out on the Windjana sandstone, Kimberley region, Gale Crater, Mars, by using the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument on the Curiosity rover. The sandstone is unusually rich in sanidine, as determined by CheMin X-ray diffraction, contributing to the high K2O concentration of 3.09 +/- 0.20 wt % measured by Alpha-Particle X-ray Spectrometer analysis. A sandstone aliquot heated to approximately 915 C yielded a K-Ar age of 627 +/- 50 Ma. Reheating this aliquot yielded no additional Ar. A second aliquot heated in the same way yielded a much higher K-Ar age of 1710 +/- 110 Ma. These data suggest incomplete Ar extraction from a rock with a K-Ar age older than 1710 Ma. Incomplete extraction at approximately 900 C is not surprising for a rock with a large fraction of K carried by Ar-retentive K-feldspar. Likely, variability in the exact temperature achieved by the sample from run to run, uncertainties in sample mass estimation, and possible mineral fractionation during transport and storage prior to analysis may contribute to these discrepant data. Cosmic ray exposure ages from He-3 and Ne-21 in the two aliquots are minimum values given the possibility of incomplete extraction. However, the general similarity between the He-3 (57 +/- 49 and 18 +/- 32 Ma, mean 30 Ma) and Ne-21 (2 +/- 32 and 83 +/- 24 Ma, mean 54 Ma) exposure ages provides no evidence for underextraction. The implied erosion rate at the Kimberley location is similar to that reported at the nearby Yellowknife Bay outcrop.

K-Ar↗
NASA NTRS2017

Mineralogical Changes in a Predominantly Fluviolacustrine Succession at Gale Crater, Mars

The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover landed in Gale crater in August 2012 to investigate the strata of lower Aeolis Mons (i.e., Mount Sharp) and characterize their depositional and diagenetic environments. Visible/short-wave infrared spectra from orbit of these strata show variations in phyllosilicate, sulfate, and Fe-oxide minerals, suggesting these units record environmental changes that occurred during the early Hesperian. Curiosity has traversed over 15 km and has climbed through Approx. 200 m of stratigraphic section, made up of predominantly fluviolacustrine (i.e., the Bradbury group and the Murray formation) and aeolian (i.e., the Stimson formation) units. Multiple geochemical and mineralogical instruments are onboard Curiosity to study these ancient rocks, including the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument, which is an X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, and the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS).

Rampe, E. B.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Electromagnetic Cyclotron Waves in the Solar Wind: Wind Observation and Wave Dispersion Analysis

Wind observed long-lasting electromagnetic cyclotron waves near the proton cyclotron frequency on 11 March 2005, in the descending part of a fast wind stream. Bi-Maxwellian velocity distributions are fitted for core protons, beam protons, and alpha-particles. Using the fitted plasma parameters we conduct kinetic linear dispersion analysis and find ion cyclotron and/or firehose instabilities grow in six of 10 wave intervals. After Doppler shift, some of the waves have frequency and polarization consistent with observation, thus may be correspondence to the cyclotron waves observed.

cyclotron↗
NASA NTRS2017

MapX An In Situ, Full-frame X-Ray Spectroscopic Imager for Planetary Science and Astrobiology

Microbial life exploits micron-scale disequilibria at boundaries where valence, chemical potential, pH, Eh, etc. vary on a length scale commensurate with the organisms - 10's to 100's of microns. The detection of accumulations of the biogenic elements C,N,O,P,S at appropriate concentrations on or in a mineral/ice substrate would constitute permissive evidence of extant life, but context is also required. Does the putative biosignature exist under habitable conditions? Under what conditions of P, T, and chemical potential was the host mineralogy formed? MapX is an in situ robotic spacecraft instrument that images the biogenic elements C, N, O, P, S, as well as the cations of the rock-forming minerals (Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe) and important anions such as Cl, Fl. MapX provides element maps with less than or equal to100 microns resolution over a 2.5 cm X 2.5 cm area, as well as quantitative XRF spectra from ground- or instrument-selected Regions of Interest (ROI). XRF spectra are converted to mineralogies using ground- or instrument-based algorithms. Either X-ray tube or radioisotope sources such as 244Cm (Alpha-particle and gamma- ray fluorescence) can be used. Fluoresced sample Xrays are imaged onto an X-ray sensitive CCD through an X-ray MicroPore Optic (MPO). The MapX design as well as baseline performance requirements for a MapX instrument intended for life detection / identification of habitable environments will be presented.

Astrobiology↗