Марсоход НАСА «Настойчивость»: лазерная маркировка на Марсе

Роджер Винс, Университет Пердью, 4 августа 2022 г.

Иллюстрация марсохода Perseverance, использующего свой инструмент SuperCam для лазерного удара по камню, чтобы проверить, из чего он сделан. Кредит: НАСА

If your name begins with "L" you will especially enjoy this story about the first letter to be laser engraved on MarsMars is the second smallest planet in our solar system and the fourth planet from the sun. It is a dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere. Iron oxide is prevalent in Mars' surface resulting in its reddish color and its nickname "The Red Planet." Mars' name comes from the Roman god of war." data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]">Марс.

Время от времени мы видим мультфильмы, в которых марсоход едет по траектории и выводит буквы на песке гусеницами своих колес. Буквы могут обозначать глупые фразы, а в мультфильмах часто сбоку изображены инопланетяне, которые смеются или недоумевают над смыслом. В реальной жизни использование лазеров на борту марсоходов также позволило наносить лазерные граффити на марсианские камни.

However, as NASAEstablished in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government that succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). It is responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. Its vision is "To discover and expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity." Its core values are "safety, integrity, teamwork, excellence, and inclusion." NASA conducts research, develops technology and launches missions to explore and study Earth, the solar system, and the universe beyond. It also works to advance the state of knowledge in a wide range of scientific fields, including Earth and space science, planetary science, astrophysics, and heliophysics, and it collaborates with private companies and international partners to achieve its goals." data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]">NASA's instruments are generally used strictly for science, I did not believe laser graffiti would ever be done. But of course, people have thought about it. When I arrived at JPLThe Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center that was established in 1936. It is owned by NASA and managed by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The laboratory's primary function is the construction and operation of planetary robotic spacecraft, though it also conducts Earth-orbit and astronomy missions. It is also responsible for operating NASA's Deep Space Network. JPL implements programs in planetary exploration, Earth science, space-based astronomy and technology development, while applying its capabilities to technical and scientific problems of national significance." data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]"> В Лаборатории реактивного движения при посадке «Кьюриосити» в 2012 году я был удивлен, обнаружив, что один из наших инженеров, отвечающий за разработку сцен для предшественника SuperCam, написал длинную сценку, в которой с помощью лазера будет написано название инструмента на поверхности камня. Все это было весело — мы никогда не тратили зря кадры, используя эту сцену. Однако на Perseverance мы нашли повод использовать лазерную маркировку.

Mars Perseverance Sol 471 - Камера SuperCam: три темные лазерные ямки в форме слегка наклоненной буквы «L» были созданы на каменной поверхности цели «Пайнфилд-Гэп» (471 сол) в качестве пробного прогона для маркировки поверхности образца. основной. Знак L — это способ сохранить информацию о вращательной ориентации породы после того, как керн вырезан в том же месте. Исходная ориентация поверхности ядра будет полезна для понимания исходных направлений магнитных доменов в образцах после того, как они будут доставлены обратно на Землю. L имеет высоту 2,5 мм и длину 1,0 мм (0,1 x 0,04 дюйма). Инструмент SuperCam создал лазерные ямы, используя 125 снимков в каждой яме, а также сделал это изображение. Авторы и права: НАСА/Лаборатория реактивного движения-Калтех/LANL/CNES/IRAP.

About two years ago I received a call from Professor Ben Weiss from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MITMIT is an acronym for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is a prestigious private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts that was founded in 1861. It is organized into five Schools: architecture and planning; engineering; humanities, arts, and social sciences; management; and science. MIT's impact includes many scientific breakthroughs and technological advances. Their stated goal is to make a better world through education, research, and innovation." data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]"MIT) asking about SuperCam's laser marking capabilities. Ben had just joined Perseverance as part of the Return Sample Science team. This group focuses on the collection of samples for return to Earth, with the purpose of ensuring that samples would be collected under the appropriate conditions to optimize their scientific value once back on Earth. Ben's specialty is paleomagnetism. In terrestrial rocks, this is the study of the magnetism induced by the Earth's magnetic field at the time of the rock's formation. Mars currently has a very weak magnetic field, but Mars’ field strength in the past is largely unknown. It has important implications for the retention or loss of Mars’ atmosphere over time, among other things. Suffice it to say that we would love to use the samples returned from the Perseverance mission to fill in that knowledge gap./p>