Laser to be used to analyze Mars' soil
July 14, 2005Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists say they plan to use lasers on Martian soil to help speed the search for life and water on that planet.
In 2009, NASA plans to launch the Mars Science Laboratory, a rover lander equipped with a high-powered laser, capable of vaporizing the top millimeter of Martian surfaces, the Albuquerque Journal reported Thursday.
Called the "ChemCam," the instrument combines a laser and a telescope to determine the chemical makeup of Martian surfaces.
Roger Wiens, the principal Los Alamos scientist in charge of the instrument, told the Journal the laser's beam -- with a 30-foot range -- will excite and dislodge atoms from rocky and dusty surfaces. As the atoms return to their normal energy levels, they will emit a bright spark of light.
The telescope, he explained, will collect the light and divide it into the composite wavelengths -- some of which are beyond the visible spectrum -- to determine what elements make up various Martian rock and dust samples.
The technique is expected to substantially increase the speed at which scientists on Earth can analyze the Martian surface for signs of life and water.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International
-
Mars-bound NASA rover aiming for an August landing
Jan 11, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
-
SAM I am
Dec 06, 2011 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
-
Los Alamos instrument to shine light on Mars habitability
Nov 29, 2011 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
-
NASA in high gear for Mars rover launch
Nov 26, 2011 |
4.8 / 5 (6) |
10
-
NASA launches super-size Mars rover to red planet (Update)
Nov 26, 2011 |
4.7 / 5 (22) |
58
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (31) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
More news stories
Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket
A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
6 hours ago |
3.5 / 5 (2) |
0
NASA sees wide-eyed cyclone Jasmine
Cyclone Jasmine's eye has opened wider on NASA satellite imagery, as it moves through the Southern Pacific Ocean.
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
22 hours ago |
3.5 / 5 (2) |
2
NASA sees Giovanna reach cyclone strength, threaten Madagascar
Tropical Storm 12S built up steam and became a cyclone on February 10, 2012 as NASA's Terra satellite passed overhead. Residents of east-central Madagascar should prepare for this cyclone to make landfall ...
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
22 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Political leaders play key role in how worried Americans are by climate change: study
More than extreme weather events and the work of scientists, it is national political leaders who influence how much Americans worry about the threat of climate change, new research finds.
Feb 06, 2012 |
5 / 5 (6) |
68
Humans may have helped the decline of African rainforests 3000 years ago
(PhysOrg.com) -- Large areas of rainforests in Central Africa mysteriously disappeared over three thousand years ago, to be replaced by savannas. The prevailing theory has been that the cause was a change ...
Feb 10, 2012 |
4.3 / 5 (13) |
15
|
Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...
GPS court ruling leaves US phone tracking unclear
A US Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant to place a GPS device on the car of a criminal suspect leaves unresolved the bigger issue of police tracking using mobile phones, legal experts say.
Anonymous briefly knocks CIA website offline (Update 2)
The website of the Central Intelligence Agency was briefly inaccessible on Friday after the hacker group Anonymous claimed to have knocked it offline.
Europeans protest controversial Internet pact
Tens of thousands of people marched in protests in more than a dozen European cities Saturday against a controversial anti-online piracy pact that critics say could curtail Internet freedom.
Study finds that anti-diabetic medication can prevent the long-term effects of maternal obesity
In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication ...
Netflix settlement trims 14 pct off 4Q earnings
(AP) -- Netflix pressed the rewind button on its fourth-quarter earnings after settling allegations that the video subscription service violated a consumer-privacy law.
