Carbon and Sulfur Isotopic Composition of Rocknest Soil as Determined with the Sample Analysis at Mars(SAM) Quadrupole Mass SpectrometerThe Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover got its first taste of solid Mars in the form of loose, unconsolidated materials (soil) acquired from an aeolian bedform designated Rocknest. Evolved gas analysis (EGA) revealed the presence of H2O as well as O-, C- and S-bearing phases in these samples. CheMin did not detect crystalline phases containing these gaseous species but did detect the presence of X-ray amorphous materials. In the absence of definitive mineralogical identification by CheMin, SAM EGA data can provide clues to the nature and/or mineralogy of volatile-bearing phases through examination of temperatures at which gases are evolved from solid samples. In addition, the isotopic composition of these gases, particularly when multiple sources contribute to a given EGA curve, may be used to identify possible formation scenarios and relationships between phases. Here we report C and S isotope ratios for CO2 and SO2 evolved from Rocknest soil samples as measured with SAM's quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS).
Document ID
20130010068
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Franz, H. B. (Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Baltimore, MD, United States)
McAdam, C. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Stern, J. C. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Archer, P. D., Jr. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Sutter, B. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Grotzinger, J. P. (California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Jones, J. H. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Leshin, L. A. (Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst. Troy, NY, United States)
Mahaffy, P. R. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Ming, D. W. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Morris, R. V. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Niles, P. B. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Owen, T. C. (Hawaii Univ. Honolulu, HI, United States)
Raaen, E. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Steele, A. (Carnegie Institution of Washington Washington, DC, United States)
Webster, C. R. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)