The Mars 2020 mission will seek the signs of ancient life on Mars and will identify, prepare, document, and cache a set of samples for possible return to Earth by a follow-on mission. Mars 2020 and its Perseverance rover thus link and further two long-held goals in planetary science: a deep search for evidence of life in a habitable extraterrestrial environment, and the return of martian samples to Earth for analysis in terrestrial laboratories. The Mars 2020 spacecraft is based on the design of the highly successful Mars Science Laboratory and its Curiosity rover, but outfitted with a sophisticated suite of new science instruments. Ground-penetrating radar will illuminate geologic structures in the shallow subsurface, while a multi-faceted weather station will document martian environmental conditions. Several instruments can be used individually or in tandem to map the color, texture, chemistry, and mineralogy of rocks and regolith at the meter scale and at the submillimeter scale. The science instruments will be used to interpret the geology of the landing site, to identify habitable paleoenvironments, to seek ancient textural, elemental, mineralogical and organic biosignatures, and to locate and characterize the most promising samples for Earth return. Once selected, ∼35 samples of rock and regolith weighing about 15 grams each will be drilled directly into ultraclean and sterile sample tubes. Perseverance will also collect blank sample tubes to monitor the evolving rover contamination environment. In addition to its scientific instruments, Perseverance hosts technology demonstrations designed to facilitate future Mars exploration. These include a device to generate oxygen gas by electrolytic decomposition of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and a small helicopter to assess performance of a rotorcraft in the thin martian atmosphere. Mars 2020 entry, descent, and landing (EDL) will use the same approach that successfully delivered Curiosity to the martian surface, but with several new features that enable the spacecraft to land at previously inaccessible landing sites. A suite of cameras and a microphone will for the first time capture the sights and sounds of EDL. Mars 2020’s landing site was chosen to maximize scientific return of the mission for astrobiology and sample return. Several billion years ago Jezero crater held a 40 km diameter, few hundred-meter-deep lake, with both an inflow and an outflow channel. A prominent delta, fine-grained lacustrine sediments, and carbonate-bearing rocks offer attractive targets for habitability and for biosignature preservation potential. In addition, a possible volcanic unit in the crater and impact megabreccia in the crater rim, along with fluvially-deposited clasts derived from the large and lithologically diverse headwaters terrain, contribute substantially to the science value of the sample cache for investigations of the history of Mars and the Solar System. Even greater diversity, including very ancient aqueously altered rocks, is accessible in a notional rover traverse that ascends out of Jezero crater and explores the surrounding Nili Planum. Mars 2020 is conceived as the first element of a multi-mission Mars Sample Return campaign. After Mars 2020 has cached the samples, a follow-on mission consisting of a fetch rover and a rocket could retrieve and package them, and then launch the package into orbit. A third mission could capture the orbiting package and return it to Earth. To facilitate the sample handoff, Perseverance could deposit its collection of filled sample tubes in one or more locations, called depots, on the planet’s surface. Alternatively, if Perseverance remains functional, it could carry some or all the samples directly to the retrieval spacecraft. The Mars 2020 mission and its Perseverance rover launched from the Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on July 30, 2020. Landing at Jezero Crater will occur on Feb 18, 2021 at about 12:30 PM Pacific Time.

Mars 2020 Mission Overview

The Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) is a robotic arm-mounted instrument on NASA’s Perseverance rover. SHERLOC has two primary boresights. The Spectroscopy boresight generates spatially resolved chemical maps using fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy coupled to microscopic images (10.1 μm/pixel). The second boresight is a Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering (WATSON); a copy of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) that obtains color images from microscopic scales (∼13 μm/pixel) to infinity. SHERLOC Spectroscopy focuses a 40 μs pulsed deep UV neon-copper laser (248.6 nm), to a ∼100 μm spot on a target at a working distance of ∼48 mm. Fluorescence emissions from organics, and Raman scattered photons from organics and minerals, are spectrally resolved with a single diffractive grating spectrograph with a spectral range of 250 to ∼370 nm. Because the fluorescence and Raman regions are naturally separated with deep UV excitation (<250 nm), the Raman region ∼ 800 – 4000 cm−1 (250 to 273 nm) and the fluorescence region (274 to ∼370 nm) are acquired simultaneously without time gating or additional mechanisms. SHERLOC science begins by using an Autofocus Context Imager (ACI) to obtain target focus and acquire 10.1 μm/pixel greyscale images. Chemical maps of organic and mineral signatures are acquired by the orchestration of an internal scanning mirror that moves the focused laser spot across discrete points on the target surface where spectra are captured on the spectrometer detector. ACI images and chemical maps (< 100 μm/mapping pixel) will enable the first Mars in situ view of the spatial distribution and interaction between organics, minerals, and chemicals important to the assessment of potential biogenicity (containing CHNOPS). Single robotic arm placement chemical maps can cover areas up to 7x7 mm in area and, with the < 10 min acquisition time per map, larger mosaics are possible with arm movements. This microscopic view of the organic geochemistry of a target at the Perseverance field site, when combined with the other instruments, such as Mastcam-Z, PIXL, and SuperCam, will enable unprecedented analysis of geological materials for both scientific research and determination of which samples to collect and cache for Mars sample return.

/pdf/perseverance-s-scanning-habitable-environments-with-raman-1ahx9d8iai.pdf

Perseverance’s Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC) Investigation

The Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater, Mars, to investigate ancient lake and river deposits. We report observations of the crater floor, below the crater’s sedimentary delta, finding that the floor consists of igneous rocks altered by water. The lowest exposed unit, informally named Séítah, is a coarsely crystalline olivine-rich rock, which accumulated at the base of a magma body. Magnesium-iron carbonates along grain boundaries indicate reactions with carbon dioxide–rich water under water-poor conditions. Overlying Séítah is a unit informally named Máaz, which we interpret as lava flows or the chemical complement to Séítah in a layered igneous body. Voids in these rocks contain sulfates and perchlorates, likely introduced by later near-surface brine evaporation. Core samples of these rocks have been stored aboard Perseverance for potential return to Earth. Description Igneous rocks in Jezero crater The Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater on Mars in February 2021. Farley et al. describe the geologic units investigated by the rover as it began to traverse the crater floor, based on images and spectroscopy. The authors found that the rocks are of igneous origin, later modified by reactions with liquid water. They also describe the collection of drilled samples for potential return to Earth by another spacecraft. Liu et al. present compositional data for these igneous rocks based on x-ray fluorescence measurements. They found similarities with some Martian meteorites and conclude that the igneous rocks formed from crystals that sank in a thick sheet of magma. Together, these studies constrain the history of Jezero crater and provide geological context for analysis of the drill samples. —KTS Jezero crater on Mars contains igneous rocks that were modified by liquid water, samples of which were collected by the Perseverance rover. INTRODUCTION The Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater on Mars on 18 February 2021 with three scientific objectives: to explore the geologic setting of the crater, to identify ancient habitable environments and assess the possibility of past martian life, and to collect samples for potential transport to Earth for analysis in laboratories. In the 290 martian days (sols) after landing, Perseverance explored rocks of the Jezero crater floor. RATIONALE Jezero, a 45-km-diameter crater, was selected for investigation by Perseverance because orbital observations had shown that it previously contained an open-system lake, prior to ~3.5 billion years ago. Major climate change then left Mars in its current cold and dry state. On Earth, broadly similar environments of similar age to Jezero contain evidence of microbial life. Jezero crater contains a well-preserved delta, identified as a target for astrobiological investigation by the rover. Perseverance landed ~2 km away from the delta, on rocks of the crater floor. Previously proposed origins for these rocks have ranged from lake (or river) sediments to lava flows. Olivine-rich rocks identified on the crater floor, as well as in the area surrounding Jezero, have previously been attributed to a widely distributed impact melt or volcanic deposit, variably altered to carbonate. We used Perseverance to investigate the origin of the crater floor rocks and to acquire samples of them. RESULTS The Jezero crater floor consists of two geologic units: the informally named Máaz formation covers much of the crater floor and surrounds the other unit, which is informally named the Séítah formation. Máaz rocks display a range of morphologies: structureless boulders, flagstone-like outcrops, and ridges that are several meters high. The ridges expose prominent layers, ranging in thickness from a few centimeters to a few tens of centimeters. Rocks of Séítah are often tabular and strongly layered, with layer thicknesses ranging from centimeters to meters. Máaz and Séítah rocks display no outcrop or grain-scale evidence for transport by wind or water. Perseverance observations show that the Máaz rocks consist of 0.5- to 1-mm interlocking crystals of pyroxene and plagioclase. Combined with bulk chemical composition measurements, this suggests Máaz is an igneous unit that cooled slowly. In contrast, most Séítah rocks are very rich in magnesium and are dominated by densely packed 2- to 3-mm-diameter crystals of olivine, surrounded by pyroxene. These properties indicate settling and accumulation of olivine near the base of a thick magma body, such as an intrusion, lava lake, or thick lava flow. Ground-penetrating radar indicates that Séítah rocks dip beneath the Máaz formation. We hypothesize that Máaz could be the magmatic complement to the Séítah olivine-rich rocks or, alternatively, Máaz could be a series of basaltic lavas that flowed over and around the older Séítah formation. The olivines in the Séítah formation are rimmed with magnesium-iron carbonate, likely produced by interaction with CO2-rich water. Máaz formation rocks contain an aqueously deposited iron oxide or iron silicate alteration product. Both units commonly contain patches of bright-white salts, including sodium perchlorate and various sulfate minerals. Although both rock units have been altered by water, preservation of the original igneous minerals and the absence of aluminous clay minerals indicate that the alteration occurred under low water/rock ratio and that there was little loss of soluble species to the surroundings. It remains unclear when these aqueous processes occurred and whether they relate to the lake that once filled Jezero. The exposure of the olivine-rich Séítah rocks at the surface, the absence of lake or river sediment in the exploration area, and several nearby erosional remnant hills of delta sediment indicate that substantial crater floor erosion occurred after formation of these igneous units. Samples of both of these geologic units were collected as drill cores. The drill cores were stored in ultraclean sample tubes, for potential transport to Earth by future missions in the early 2030s. CONCLUSION The floor of Jezero crater explored by Perseverance consists of two distinct igneous units that have both experienced reactions with liquid water. Multiple rock cores were collected from these units for potential transport to Earth and analysis in terrestrial laboratories. Sample collection by Perseverance on Mars. This image mosaic was acquired by the WATSON camera on the rover’s robot arm. Rock cores were drilled from the two holes (arrow) in an igneous rock of the Máaz formation. The 6-cm-long, 1.3-cm-diameter cores were sealed into individual sample tubes and are now stored inside the rover.

/pdf/aqueously-altered-igneous-rocks-sampled-on-the-floor-of-19ihk33f.pdf

Aqueously altered igneous rocks sampled on the floor of Jezero crater, Mars

The Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is equipped with a next-generation engineering camera imaging system that represents an upgrade over previous Mars rover missions. These upgrades will improve the operational capabilities of the rover with an emphasis on drive planning, robotic arm operation, instrument operations, sample caching activities, and documentation of key events during entry, descent, and landing (EDL). There are a total of 16 cameras in the Perseverance engineering imaging system, including 9 cameras for surface operations and 7 cameras for EDL documentation. There are 3 types of cameras designed for surface operations: Navigation cameras (Navcams, quantity 2), Hazard Avoidance Cameras (Hazcams, quantity 6), and Cachecam (quantity 1). The Navcams will acquire color stereo images of the surface with a $96^{\circ}\times 73^{\circ}$
 field of view at 0.33 mrad/pixel. The Hazcams will acquire color stereo images of the surface with a $136^{\circ}\times 102^{\circ}$
 at 0.46 mrad/pixel. The Cachecam, a new camera type, will acquire images of Martian material inside the sample tubes during caching operations at a spatial scale of 12.5 microns/pixel. There are 5 types of EDL documentation cameras: The Parachute Uplook Cameras (PUCs, quantity 3), the Descent stage Downlook Camera (DDC, quantity 1), the Rover Uplook Camera (RUC, quantity 1), the Rover Descent Camera (RDC, quantity 1), and the Lander Vision System (LVS) Camera (LCAM, quantity 1). The PUCs are mounted on the parachute support structure and will acquire video of the parachute deployment event as part of a system to characterize parachute performance. The DDC is attached to the descent stage and pointed downward, it will characterize vehicle dynamics by capturing video of the rover as it descends from the skycrane. The rover-mounted RUC, attached to the rover and looking upward, will capture similar video of the skycrane from the vantage point of the rover and will also acquire video of the descent stage flyaway event. The RDC, attached to the rover and looking downward, will document plume dynamics by imaging the Martian surface before, during, and after rover touchdown. The LCAM, mounted to the bottom of the rover chassis and pointed downward, will acquire $90^{\circ}\times 90^{\circ}$
 FOV images during the parachute descent phase of EDL as input to an onboard map localization by the Lander Vision System (LVS). The rover also carries a microphone, mounted externally on the rover chassis, to capture acoustic signatures during and after EDL. The Perseverance rover launched from Earth on July 30th, 2020, and touchdown on Mars is scheduled for February 18th, 2021.

/pdf/the-mars-2020-engineering-cameras-and-microphone-on-the-3gpync61la.pdf

The Mars 2020 Engineering Cameras and Microphone on the Perseverance Rover: A Next-Generation Imaging System for Mars Exploration

The Mars 2020 mission seeks to conduct a new scientific exploration on the surface of Mars. The Perseverance Rover will be sent to the surface of the Jezero Crater region to study its habitability, search for biosignatures of past life, acquire and cache samples for potential return, and prepare for possible human missions. To enable these objectives, an innovative Sampling and Caching Subsystem (SCS) has been developed and tested to allow the Perseverance Rover to acquire and cache rock core and regolith samples, prepare abraded rock surfaces, and support proximity science instruments. The SCS consists of the Robotic Arm (RA), the Turret and Corer, and the Adaptive Caching Assembly (ACA). These elements reside and interact both inside and outside of the Perseverance Rover to enable surface interactions, sample transfer, and caching. The main body of the Turret consists of the Coring Drill (Corer) with a Launch Abrading Bit initially installed prior to launch. Mounted to the Turret main structure are two proximity science instruments, SHERLOC and PIXL, as well as the Gas Dust Removal Tool (gDRT) and the Facility Contact Sensor (FCS). These work together with the RA to provide the sample acquisition, abraded surface preparation, and proximity science functions. The ACA is a network of assemblies largely inside the front belly of the Rover, which combine to perform the sample handling and caching functions of the mission. The ACA primarily consists of the Bit Carousel, the Sample Handling Assembly (SHA), End Effector (EE), Sample Tubes and their Sample Tube Storage Assembly (STSA), Seals and their Dispenser, Volume, and Tube Assembly (DVT), the Sealing Station, the Vision Station, the Cover Parking Lot, and additional supporting hardware. These components attach to the Caching Component Mounting Deck (CCMD) that is integrated with the Rover interior. This work describes these major elements of the SCS, with an emphasis on the functionality required to perform the set of tasks and interactions required by the subsystem. Key considerations of contamination control and biological cleanliness throughout the development of these hardware elements are also discussed. Additionally, aspects of testing and validating the functionality of the SCS are described. Early prototypes and tests matured the designs over several years and eventually led to the flight hardware and integrated testing in both Earth ambient and Mars-like environments. Multiple unique testbed venues were developed and used to enable testing from low-level mechanism operation through end-to-end sampling and caching interactions with the full subsystem and flight software. Various accomplishments from these testing efforts are highlighted. These past and ongoing tests support the successful preparations of the SCS on its pathway to operations on Mars.

The Sampling and Caching Subsystem (SCS) for the Scientific Exploration of Jezero Crater by the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover

Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) is a micro-focus X-ray fluorescence spectrometer mounted on the robotic arm of NASA’s Perseverance rover. PIXL will acquire high spatial resolution observations of rock and soil chemistry, rapidly analyzing the elemental chemistry of a target surface. In 10 seconds, PIXL can use its powerful 120 μm-diameter X-ray beam to analyze a single, sand-sized grain with enough sensitivity to detect major and minor rock-forming elements, as well as many trace elements. Over a period of several hours, PIXL can autonomously raster-scan an area of the rock surface and acquire a hyperspectral map comprised of several thousand individual measured points. When correlated to a visual image acquired by PIXL’s camera, these maps reveal the distribution and abundance variations of chemical elements making up the rock, tied accurately to the physical texture and structure of the rock, at a scale comparable to a 10X magnifying geological hand lens. The many thousands of spectra in these postage stamp-sized elemental maps may be analyzed individually or summed together to create a bulk rock analysis, or subsets of spectra may be summed, quantified, analyzed, and compared using PIXLISE data analysis software. This hand lens-scale view of the petrology and geochemistry of materials at the Perseverance landing site will provide a valuable link between the larger, centimeter- to meter-scale observations by Mastcam-Z, RIMFAX and Supercam, and the much smaller (micron-scale) measurements that would be made on returned samples in terrestrial laboratories.

PIXL: Planetary Instrument for X-Ray Lithochemistry

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PIXL: Planetary Instrument for X-Ray Lithochemistry