Title :
Microscopy, electrochemistry, and conductivity analyzer (MECA) payload on Mars ´07 Phoenix lander
Author :
Shirbacheh, Mike ; Hecht, Michael ; Bell, Julie L. ; Mogensen, Claus
Author_Institution :
Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA
Abstract :
The Mars environmental compatibility assessment (MECA), originally sponsored by NASA´s Human Exploration and Development of Space Office, was planned to be launched as payload on the 2001 Mars surveyor lander which was cancelled as a result of the Mars climate orbiter and Mars polar lander failures in 1999. As originally planned, MECA was designed to analyze Martian soil for properties that might pose hazards to future astronauts. Renamed the microscopy, electrochemistry, and conductivity analyzer, MECA is now a payload on the Mars Phoenix lander, scheduled for launch in 2007
Keywords :
Mars; aerospace instrumentation; electrochemistry; microscopy; planetary rovers; space vehicles; Mars climate orbiter; Mars environmental compatibility assessment; Mars polar lander; Mars surveyor lander; Martian soil analysis; NASA human exploration and development of space; Phoenix lander; conductivity analyzer; electrochemistry analyzer; microscopy analyzer; Atomic force microscopy; Ice; Mars; Optical microscopy; Payloads; Probes; Robots; Soil; Surface topography; Thermal conductivity;
Conference_Titel :
Aerospace Conference, 2005 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Big Sky, MT
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-8870-4
DOI :
10.1109/AERO.2005.1559322
