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Astrobiological Significance of Definitive Mineralogical Analysis of Martian Surface Samples Using the CheMin XRD/XRF InstrumentThe search for evidence of habitability, or of extant or extinct life on Mars, will initially be a search for evidence of past or present conditions supportive of life. The three key requirements for the emergence of life are thought to be liquid water; a suitable energy source; and chemical building blocks. CheMin is a miniaturized XRD/XRF (X-Ray diffraction / X-ray fluorescence) instrument which has been developed for definitive mineralogic analysis of soils and rocks on the Martian surface. The CheMin instrument can provide information that is highly relevant to each of these habitability requirements as summarized below.
Document ID
20050159692
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Feldman, S. M.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Blake, D. F.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Sarrazin, P.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Bish, D. L.
(Indiana Univ. Bloomington, IN, United States)
Chipera, S. J.
(Los Alamos National Lab. NM, United States)
Vaniman, D. T.
(Los Alamos National Lab. NM, United States)
Collins, S.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 23, 2013
Publication Date
August 3, 2004
Subject Category
Man/System Technology And Life Support
Meeting Information
Meeting: Mars Astrobiology Science and Technology Workshop
Location: Washington, DC
Country: United States
Start Date: September 7, 2004
End Date: September 12, 2004
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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