Engineering:MicrOmega-IR

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MicrOmega-IR
OperatorEuropean Space Agency
ManufacturerInstitut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, of the CNRS
Instrument typeInfrared hyperspectral microscope
FunctionSubsurface composition
Mission duration≥ 7 months[1]
WebsiteExoMars Rover Instrument Suite
Properties
Mass≈2 kg
Host spacecraft
SpacecraftRosalind Franklin rover
OperatorEuropean Space Agency
Launch dateNET 2028
Grains of Earth olivine, one of the minerals MicroOmega is designed to detect

MicrOmega-IR is an infrared hyperspectral microscope that is part of the science payload on board the European Rosalind Franklin rover,[2] tasked to search for biosignatures on Mars. The rover is planned to be launched not earlier than 2028. MicrOmega-IR will analyse in situ the powder material derived from crushed samples collected by the rover's core drill.[3][4]

Development

The MicrOmega mnemonic is derived from its French name Micro observatoire pour la mineralogie, l'eau, les glaces et l'activité;[1] IR stands for infrared. It was developed by France's Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale at the CNRS. France has also flown MicrOmega on other missions such as the 2011 Fobos-Grunt and the Hayabusa2 MASCOT mobile lander currently exploring asteroid Ryugu.[5] France is also developing a variant called MacrOmega Near-IR Spectrometer for the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) lander, a Japanese sample-return mission to Mars' moon Phobos.[6]

The Principal Investigator of the MicrOmega-IR for the Rosalind Franklin rover is Jean-Pierre Bibring, a French astronomer and planetary scientist at the Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale. Co-PIs are astrobiologists Frances Westall and Nicolas Thomas.[7]

MicrOmega was developed by a consortium including:[8]

Overview

MicrOmega-IR Parameter/units [9]
Type Infrared hyperspectral microscope
Manufacturer Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale,
of the CNRS
Spectral range 0.9–4 μm [10]
Spectral sampling 20/cm from 0.95 μm to 3.65 μm
Imaging resolution 20  μm2/pixel
Field of view 5 × 5  mm2
Mass ≈ 2 kilograms (4.4 lb)

MicrOmega-IR is a visible and infrared hyperspectral microscope that is designed to characterize the texture and composition of crushed samples presented to the instrument.[9] Its objective is to study mineral grain assemblages in detail to try to unravel their geological origin, structure and composition, including potential organics.[9] These data will be vital for interpreting past and present geological processes and environments on Mars. Because MicrOmega-IR is an imaging instrument, it can also be used to identify grains that are particularly interesting, and assign them as targets for Raman and MOMA observations.[9]

It is composed of 2 microscopes: MicrOmega/VIS has a spatial sampling of approximately 4 μm, working in 4 colors in the visible range. The other one is the MicrOmega/NIR hyperspectral microscope working in the spectral range 0.95 μm - 3.65 μm with a spatial sampling of 20 μm per pixel.[10] Its main supporting components include:[11]

The IR instrument uses a HgCdTe (Mercury-Cadmium-Telluride) matrix detector, the Sofradir Mars SW 320 x 256 pixels.[12]

Examples of materials for identification, if present:[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Vago, Jorge L. (July 2017). "Habitability on Early Mars and the Search for Biosignatures with the ExoMars Rover". Astrobiology 17 (6–7): 471–510. doi:10.1089/ast.2016.1533. PMID 31067287. Bibcode: 2017AsBio..17..471V. 
  2. ↑ Howell, Elizabeth (July 24, 2018). "ExoMars: Searching for Life on Mars". Space.com. https://www.space.com/34664-exomars-facts.html. 
  3. ↑ Vago, Jorge; Witasse, Olivier; Baglioni, Pietro; Haldemann, Albert; Gianfiglio, Giacinto et al. (August 2013). "ExoMars: ESA's Next Step in Mars Exploration". Bulletin (European Space Agency) (155): 12–23. http://esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia/publications/ESA-Bulletin-155/offline/download.pdf. 
  4. ↑ Korablev, Oleg I. (July 2017). "Infrared Spectrometer for ExoMars: A Mast-Mounted Instrument for the Rover". Astrobiology 17 (6–7): 542–564. doi:10.1089/ast.2016.1543. PMID 28731817. Bibcode: 2017AsBio..17..542K. http://pure.aber.ac.uk/ws/files/19196048/ISEM_resubmitted_10.02.17.pdf. 
  5. ↑ MicroMega Instrument for MASCOT. CNES, France. August 26, 2016. Accessed: 21 July 2018.
  6. ↑ Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Mission Overview. (PDF). JAXA. 10 April 2017.
  7. ↑ The ExoMars Rover Instrument Suite - MicrOmega. European Space Agency. Published: 25 August 2017.
  8. ↑ Vaitua, Leroi; Bibring, Jean-Pierre; Berthé, Michel (2017-11-21). "MicrOmega IR: a new infrared hyperspectral imaging microscope or in situ analysis". International Conference on Space Optics — ICSO 2008. 10566. pp. 50. doi:10.1117/12.2308234. ISBN 9781510616219. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 The MicrOmega Investigation Onboard ExoMars. Jean-Pierre Bibring, Vincent Hamm, Cédric Pilorget, Jorge L. Vago, and the MicrOmega Team. Astrobiology, Vol. 17, No. 6-7. 1 July 2017. doi:10.1089/ast.2016.1642.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Leroi, Vaitua; Bibring, Jean-Pierre; Berthe, Michel (2009). "Micromega/IR: Design and status of a near-infrared spectral microscope for in situ analysis of Mars samples". Planetary and Space Science 57 (8–9): 1068–1075. doi:10.1016/j.pss.2008.12.014. Bibcode: 2009P&SS...57.1068L. 
  11. ↑ MicrOmega Instrument Prototype. European Space Agency. 12 October 2015.
  12. ↑ Vaitua, Leroi; Bibring, Jean-Pierre; Berthé, Michel (2017-11-21). "MicrOmega IR: a new infrared hyperspectral imaging microscope or in situ analysis". International Conference on Space Optics — ICSO 2008. 10566. pp. 50. doi:10.1117/12.2308234. ISBN 9781510616219. 
  13. ↑ Leroi, Vaitua; Bibring, Jean-Pierre; Berthe, Michel (July 2009). "Micromega/IR: Design and status of a near-infrared spectral microscope for in situ analysis of Mars samples" (in en). Planetary and Space Science 57 (8–9): 1068–1075. doi:10.1016/j.pss.2008.12.014. ISSN 0032-0633. Bibcode: 2009P&SS...57.1068L. 




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