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Determination of Martian soil mineralogy and water content using the Thermal Analyzer for Planetary Soils (TAPS)Physical and chemical interactions between the surface and atmosphere of Mars can be expected to embody a strong cause-and-effect relationship with the minerals comprising the martian regolith. Many of the minerals in soils and sediments are probably products of chemical weathering (involving surface/atmosphere or surface/hydrosphere reactions) that could be expected to subsequently influence the sorption of atmospheric gases and water vapor. Therefore, identification of the minerals in martian surface soils and sediments is essential for understanding both past and present interactions between the Mars surface and atmosphere. Clearly, the most definitive mineral analyses would be achieved with well-preserved samples returned to Earth-based laboratories. In advance of a Mars sample return mission, however, significant progress could be made with in situ experiments that fill current voids in knowledge about the presence or abundance of key soil minerals such as clays (layered-structured silicates), zeolites, and various salts, including carbonates. TAPS is intended to answer that challenge by providing first-order identification of soil and sediment minerals.
Document ID
19940017960
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Other
Authors
Gooding, James L.
(NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Ming, Douglas W.
(NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Allton, Judith H.
(Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Co. Houston, TX., United States)
Byers, Terry B.
(Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Co. Houston, TX., United States)
Dunn, Robert P.
(Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Co. Houston, TX., United States)
Gibbons, Frank L.
(Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Co. Houston, TX., United States)
Pate, Daniel B.
(Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Co. Houston, TX., United States)
Polette, Thomas M.
(Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Co. Houston, TX., United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: Lunar and Planetary Inst., MSATT Workshop on Innovative Instrumentation for the In Situ Study of Atmosphere-Surface Interactions on Mars
Subject Category
Instrumentation And Photography
Accession Number
94N22433
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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