Comments on: It worked! https://gregladen.com/blog/2012/08/19/it-worked/ Mon, 20 Aug 2012 14:47:37 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.6 By: Ryan https://gregladen.com/blog/2012/08/19/it-worked/#comment-494361 Mon, 20 Aug 2012 14:47:37 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=13177#comment-494361 If that thing is still active in fifteen years can we use it to blast holes in the first manned habitats? They’ll be some damnable furreners…

]]> By: Michael Kelsey https://gregladen.com/blog/2012/08/19/it-worked/#comment-494360 Mon, 20 Aug 2012 04:47:04 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=13177#comment-494360 @Vitor: This is first _active_ spectroscopy system on any planetary science mission. All of the others (including the Sojourner rover from the Pathfinder mission) were/are passive spectrometers, which analyzed reflected light, or other radiation emitted by the “target.”

The ChemCam LIBS system uses a 5 mJ (1 MW power output, 5 ns pulse) infrared laser to produce a small plasma vapor at the target, which is then imaged and analyzed by a 6144-line resolution spectrometer.

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2012/08/19/it-worked/#comment-494359 Mon, 20 Aug 2012 02:43:55 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=13177#comment-494359 There are two things going on here. First, this instrument is newer and fancier and gives finer results (the spectrum is cut up in to smaller slices) and access to otherwise not as accessible materials (it literally ablates off surfaces to get underneath them). Other Mars craft have had spectrometers, but this is different. Second, it worked; when they turned the thing on and tried it out it was not broken. That’s important!

]]> By: Vitor F Pamplona https://gregladen.com/blog/2012/08/19/it-worked/#comment-494358 Mon, 20 Aug 2012 02:35:00 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/?p=13177#comment-494358 I don’t get it. Why is this new? Even PathFinder had a spectrometer with it. Is there a difference between them?

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