Site Identification and Sample Analysis with ExoMars Mission mock-up instruments on a Martian analogue site on Mt. Etna

Abstract

The landing site of the ExoMars 2022 mission is Oxia Planum, a basin rich in hydrated minerals located between Mawrth and Ares Vallis. Its clay-rich deposits of Noachian age have been covered by volcanic outflows, that have only recently started to erode away. This makes it more likely that biochemical markers have been preserved as they were shielded from long-term cosmic ray exposure.Martian analogue sites are valuable testing-grounds for both instrumentation and scientific analysis. During the EuroMoonMars Etna campaign, mockups of ExoMars instruments were used to perform scientific analysis on a Martian Analogue site on Mt. Etna.Satellite images are used to identify sites of interest on the slopes of Mt. Etna, mimicking the use of images and data from the MRO CTX, HiRISE, MEX HRSC and the CRISM spectrometer, to characterise the surface of Oxia Planum during the ExoMars Mission.On the ground, Panoramic imaging and wide-angle photographs are used to select sites for close-up study with a mock-up of the Pancam instrument. Pancam is a set of two wide angle cameras for multi-spectral stereoscopic panoramic imaging, and a high resolution camera for colour imaging.On selected sites, geological and biogeochemical markers are identified and characterized using Raman spectroscopy and optical microscopy, mimicking ExoMars’ onboard instruments RLS (Raman Laser spectrometer), and CLUPI (Close-up imager).

Authors 4

1. G. De Palma Aachen Leiden/ESA Astrophysics Program (LEAPS)

   Leiden University · European Space Agency · European Space Research and Technology Centre · University of Bari Aldo Moro

   Affiliation as printed

   European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) & International Lunar Exploration Working Group EuroMoonMars, European Space Agency (ESA), Noordwijk, Netherlands

   Leiden/ESA Astrophysics Program (LEAPS), Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

   Università degli Studi di Bari, Bari, Italy (g.depalma26@studenti.uniba.it)

2. Anouk Ehreiser Aachen Leiden/ESA Astrophysics Program (LEAPS)

   Leiden University · Heidelberg University · European Space Agency · European Space Research and Technology Centre

   Affiliation as printed

   European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) & International Lunar Exploration Working Group EuroMoonMars, European Space Agency (ESA), Noordwijk, Netherlands

   Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany (anouk.ehreiser@gmail.com)

   Leiden/ESA Astrophysics Program (LEAPS), Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

3. Patrycja Lakomiec Aachen Leiden/ESA Astrophysics Program (LEAPS)

   Leiden University · European Space Agency · European Space Research and Technology Centre · University College London

   Affiliation as printed

   European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) & International Lunar Exploration Working Group EuroMoonMars, European Space Agency (ESA), Noordwijk, Netherlands

   Leiden/ESA Astrophysics Program (LEAPS), Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

   University College London, London, United Kingdom (zcaplak@ucl.ac.uk)

4. Leander Schlarmann Aachen Leiden/ESA Astrophysics Program (LEAPS)

   Leiden University · University of Vienna · European Space Agency · European Space Research and Technology Centre

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Astrophysics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria (leander.schlarmann@chello.at)

   European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) & International Lunar Exploration Working Group EuroMoonMars, European Space Agency (ESA), Noordwijk, Netherlands

   Leiden/ESA Astrophysics Program (LEAPS), Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands