Exploring the Surface of Mars with Active Neutron Measurements on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover
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About the Course
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Since the mission began in 2012, the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover has acquired thousands of measurements within Gale Crater on the surface of Mars. DAN measures thermal and epithermal neutron counts between pulses of a 14.1 MeV D-T pulsed neutron generator. The resulting neutron die-away curves can be used to interpret the bulk hydration, subsurface geology, and layering structure of the shallow subsurface of Curiosity's landing site in Gale Crater. Analyses of DAN data have characterized the hydration and extent of high-silica materials at several locations along the rover's traverse.
DAN data have also been used to study an active dune field, which was determined to be some of the least hydrated material investigated by the rover. The hydration state of the dunes can then be used to constrain the abundance of amorphous phases within the dune sand, which is an important indicator of environmental conditions during sediment transport. Neutron measurements have also revealed hydrogen-rich clay deposits and unique properties of other geologic layers measured at the base of Mount Sharp.
These neutron measurements are the first to be made on the surface of another planet. Interpretations of these highly localized neutron data require a careful approach to simulations, geochemical modeling, and geologic settings to test hypotheses at the site. Active neutron observations provide planetary scientists with a rich nuclear dataset that will help unravel the geologic history of Gale Crater and should be a valuable tool for future missions to understand the origins of polar ice deposits on the Moon and Mars.
Your Instructor
Dr. Craig Hardgrove is an Associate Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at ASU. He earned his Doctoral degree in Geology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2011 and his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2005. Dr. Hardgrove was the Principal Investigator for the Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper (LunaH-Map) cubesat mission. LunaH-Map launched on Artemis-1 in November of 2022.
He is a Participating Scientist on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument team and a Co-Investigator on the Lunar-VISE rover mission where he participates in the mission as the lead of the Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer instrument. Dr. Hardgrove’s research focuses on the characterization of hydrated rocks and their constituent phases on rocky planets through the use of nuclear spectroscopic instrumentation, as well as on small spacecraft and instrument development for interplanetary exploration.
Dr. Hardgrove is also active in several NASA instrument development projects and has over a decade of experience working on spacecraft missions, having begun his career working on the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. In addition to serving as the Principal Investigator for LunaH-Map, Dr. Hardgrove is currently a member of the science team on the BepiColombo mission to Mercury, as well as the Curiosity and Mars 2020 Perseverance Mars rovers.