 |
ASRL rover being prepared
for mock Mars mission |
With the
NASA Mars Science Laboratory landing just three days away, we are also counting down to our next field season, coincidentally also centred around a Mars mission concept. Our robot will be hunting for a methane source in the Canadian Space Agency's Mars Emulation Terrain. Scientists believe methane may play an important role in understanding Mars. We'll have two different spectrometers mounted on the robot, capable of detecting methane. One will bounce a laser off a reflective sign, the other will point at the sun. Both spectrometers can detect the presence of methane in the direction they're pointing, so the robot will have to wander around until it finds the source; it will be a bit like the game, Battleship. The test will occur August 20-24, hopefully just as the Curiosity rover is taking its first steps. Stay tuned for updates on our progress!
