ChemCam on Mars Science Lab - Jen Blank (SETI Talks)

SETI Talks Archive: http://seti.org/talks

Dr. Jen Blank is a member of the science team for ChemCam, a remote imager and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) remote analysis instrument. ChemCam will be able to determine elemental abundance of a rock up to 7 meters away by zapping it with a laser and detecting excited elemental lines. ChemCam is one of the instrument packages on the Mars Science Laboratory rover that will be launched to Mars next year. Landing site? Still TBD. Come along to hear about NASA's coolest new device for deciphering the geological story of The Red Planet.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• ChemCam
• MSL
• Jennifer Blank
• SETI

[looksintolasers]

If the calibration samples are on the rover, is the laser capable of damaging the body of the rover itself in the case of a misfire? How many times can the samples be "lased" before they get used up?

[setiinstitute]

@looksintolasers I got this response form Jen Blank: "The laser will fire at low energies - less than 15 mJ - and won't damage the rover. It might take off a little paint, though, if the aim if off! Nothing to worry about. (It would be hard to see a small paint burn with the naked eye.)

The calibration samples are large (a few cm diameter) in comparison to the < 1 mm diameter by tenths of mm depth spot size of the laser and should outlast the mission."

[looksintolasers]

@setiinstitute Interesting, thanks!