With its APXS (Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer) instrument on the robotic arm of Curiosity is measuring the composition of rocks and soil at Rocknest. The beam of alpha particles and X-rays causes fluorescence of X-rays characteristic of particular elements in the sample. But Curiosity is not the first rover to use this instrument on Mars. Both Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, are equipped with an APXS. But the MER were second to use an APXS on Mars: Sojourner, the shoe-box sized rover that landed in the 1997 Mars Pathfinder mission was the first rover to carry an APXS. By the time Sojourner returned its first measurements from Mars, we already had a good knowledge of Martian rock compositions through investigation of Martian meteorites. Today we use a combination of MER, Pathfinder, Viking and meteorite data to compare to the results returned by Curiosity.
Wednesday 14th Nov 2012 Sol 98
About jbridges
This blog is a record of my experiences and work during the Mars Science Laboratory mission, from the preparation, landing on August 5th 2012 Pacific Time, and onwards... I will also post updates about our other Mars work on meteorites, ExoMars and new missions. You can also follow the planetary science activities with @LeicsPlanets Professor John Bridges, School of Physics and Astronomy
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