Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “rock detection”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2001

Introduction to Mars Sampling Handling Workshop Series. Workshop on Life Detection: Issues and Topics

Before martian soil and rock samples can be distributed to the research community, the returned materials will initially be quarantined and examined in a proposed BSL-4 containment facility to assure that no putative martian microorganisms or attendant potential biohazards exist. During the initial quarantine, state-of-the-art life detection and biohazard testing of the returned martian samples will be conducted. Life detection, as defined here in regard to Mars sample return missions, is the detection of living organisms and/or materials that have been derived from living organisms that may be present in the sample.

Rummel, John D.↗
NASA NTRS1976

An alpha particle instrument with alpha, proton, and X-ray modes for planetary chemical analyses

The interaction of alpha particles with matter is employed in a compact instrument that could provide rather complete in-situ chemical analyses of surfaces and thin atmospheres of extraterrestrial bodies. The instrument is a miniaturized and improved version of the Surveyor lunar instrument. The backscattering of alpha particles and (alpha, p) reactions provide analytical data on the light elements (carbon-iron). An X-ray mode that detects the photons produced by the alpha sources provides sensitivity and resolution for the chemical elements heavier than about silicon. The X-rays are detected by semiconductor detectors having a resolution between 150 and 250 eV at 5.9 keV. Such an instrument can identify and determine with good accuracy 99 percent of the atoms (except hydrogen) in rocks. For many trace elements, the detecting sensitivity is a few ppm. Auxiliary sources could be used to enhance the sensitivities for elements of special interest. The instrument could probably withstand the acceleration involved in semi-hard landings.

Economou, T. E.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Distinguishing Indigenous from Contaminating Microorganisms in Rock Samples from a Deep Au Mine in South Africa

The concentration and distribution of microbial biomass within deep subsurface rock strata is not well known To date, most analyses are from water samples and a few cores. Hand samples, block samples and cores from an actively mined Carbon Leader ore zone at 3.2 kilometers depth were collected for microbial analyses. The Carbon Leader was comprised of quartz, S-bearing aromatic hydrocarbons, Fe(III) oxyhydroxides, sulfides, uraninite, Au and minor amounts of sulfate. The porosity of the ore was 1% and the maximum pore throat diameter was less than 0.1 microns; whereas, the porosity of the adjacent quartzite was .02 to .9% with a maximum pore throat diameter of 0.9 microns. Rhodamine dye, fluorescent microspheres, microbial enrichments, autoradiography, phospholipid fatty acid (PLEA) and 16S rDNA analyses were performed on these rock samples and the mining water. The date indicate that the levels of solute contamination less than 0.01% for pared rock samples. Despite this low level of contamination, PLEA, microbial enrichment, DNA and tracer analyses and calculations indicate that most of the viable microorganisms in the Carbon Leader represent gram negative aerobic heterotrophs and ammonia oxidizers that are phylogenetically identical or closely related to service water microorganisms. These microbial contaminants probably infiltrated the low permeability rock through mining-induced microfractures. Geochemical data also detected drilling water in a fault zone approx. 1 meter behind the rock face encountered during coring. The mining induced macrofractures that are common at these great depths act as pathways for the drilling water borne microorganisms into the lower temperature zone that extends several meters into rock strata from the rock face. Combined PLEA and T- RFLP analyses of the service water and Carbon Leader samples indicate that the concentration of indigenous microorganisms was less than 10(exp 2) cells/gram. Such a low concentrations result from the submicron pore throat diameters. PLFA. SO4-35 autoradiography and tracer analyses indicate that the bounding quartzite contains thermophilic sulfate reducing bacteria at 10(exp 3) cells/gram that are not attributable to drilling water contamination. The microorganisms may be surviving on sulfate generated by oxidation of sulfide by radiolytic reactions resulting from the high U concentration in the ore zone. The presence of up to 8,000 ppm of Fe(III) oxyhydroxides in the host rock will also act to recycle sulfide generated by the sulfate reducing bacteria into sulfate. The activity of these sulfate-reducing bacteria may be enhanced by mining induced fracturing which can propagate up to 40 meters into virgin rock where the temperatures are ca. 50 C, and decrepitate of sulfate rich fluid inclusions. In ultra deep mines, judicious application of tracers and multiple microbial characterization techniques can distinguish microbial contamination caused by the near field fracturing and drilling water migration from the indigenous microbial communities in rock strata. The importance of far field fracturing on indigenous microbial communities, however, remains unknown.

Onstott, T. C.↗
NASA NTRS2003

A New Antibody for Category 1 Biomarker Detection

At least two questions arise in developing a life-detection strategy: What do we look for and what will positive detection tell us? Unfortunately, many 'biomarkers' are not conclusive markers of biology. For example, sugars, amino acids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and certain bacteria-like morphologies can all be produced non-biologically. Inferences of life following the detection of several inconclusive biomarkers in one sample will always be questioned. Although DNA, RNA and proteins are excellent markers of biology, and preserved on Earth for several millions of years, their survival over longer periods of time is low. Ideally, we should target biomarkers which are both stable over time and formed exclusively from biological processes, i.e. a 'category 1' biomarker under the new classification system of Mckay. We have used antibodies to detect category 1 and other biomarkers in rock samples. Extraction takes a few minutes and analysis a few hours. We have presented use of new antibodies to detect hopanes and have shown proof of operation during martian gravity.

Maule, J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The mineralogical, chemical, and chronological characteristics of the crystalline Apollo 16 impact melt rocks

A comparative review of mineralogical, chemical, and chronological data on crystalline Apollo 16 impact melt rocks is presented. The use of such data to identify distinct impact melt complex is discussed, and 22 distinct impact melt bodies are identified. The recently detected group of feldspathic microporphyritic (FM) melt rocks was tested for chemical and isotopic homogeneity; instrumental neutron activation analysis and new Rb-Sr isotopic whole rock data indicate that FMs were probably not derived from a single impact melt sheet, but might be representative of the Descartes basement. Stratigraphical and chronological concepts for the geological development of the landing site are discussed, and a model is presented for the formation of the Cayley Plains and the Descartes formation.

Reimold, W. U.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Laser Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry for Future In Situ Planetary Missions

Laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LD-TOF-MS) is a versatile, low-complexity instrument class that holds significant promise for future landed in situ planetary missions that emphasize compositional analysis of surface materials. Here we describe a 5kg-class instrument that is capable of detecting and analyzing a variety of analytes directly from rock or ice samples. Through laboratory studies of a suite of representative samples, we show that detection and analysis of key mineral composition, small organics, and particularly, higher molecular weight organics are well suited to this instrument design. A mass range exceeding 100,000 Da has recently been demonstrated. We describe recent efforts in instrument prototype development and future directions that will enhance our analytical capabilities targeting organic mixtures on primitive and icy bodies. We present results on a series of standards, simulated mixtures, and meteoritic samples.

Getty, S. A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Search for Chiral Asymmetry as a Potential Biosignature in Samples from Mars

The search for evidence of extraterrestrial life in our solar system has been guided by our under-standing of terrestrial biology and its associated biosignatures. The observed homochirality in all life on Earth, that is, the predominance of “left-handed” or L-amino acids and “right-handed” or D-sugars, is a unique property of life that is crucial for molecular recognition, enzymatic function, information storage and structure, and is thought to be a prerequisite for the origin or early evolution of life. Therefore, the detection of L- or D-excesses of chiral amino acids or sugars could be a powerful indicator of extant or extinct life on Mars or other habitable environments in our solar system. However, studies of primitive meteorites have revealed that they contain extraterrestrial amino acids and sugar acids with large enantiomeric excesses (60% and higher) that resulted from non-biological processes [1], complicating the use of chiral asymmetry by itself as a definitive biosignature. The exploration of habitable environments on Mars, including an assessment of the preservation potential for complex organics of either abiotic or biological origin, is an objective of both current and future Mars missions. Now with the unambiguous detection of indigenous organic matter in sedimentary rocks by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite on Mars [2-5], NASA’s Curiosity rover has found evidence of the preservation of potential chemical biosignatures in the martian near surface. Although amino acids have not yet been identified by in situ measurements on Mars [5], indigenous achiral amino acids have been identified in one martian meteorite [6]. It is expected that amino acid racemization would be very slow and any chiral or isotopic signatures from an extinct martian biota could be preserved for billions of years, given the extremely cold and dry surface conditions [7]. The ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars mission scheduled for launch next year includes the Rosalind Franklin rover designed to acquire samples from a depth of ~2 m and deliver them to a suite of instruments, including the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA). The MOMA instrument contains a wet chemistry experiment designed specifically for the detection of amino acids and measurement of their enantiomeric compositions [8]. The complexity and limited duration of spaceflight operations, and the known analytical challenges associated with in situ extraction and characterization of trace reduced organic com-pounds in ancient rocks, make it challenging to determine the origins of martian organic matter found to date. Coordinated state-of-the-art laboratory measurements of returned samples from Mars that include spatially resolved chemical, mineralogical, bulk and molecule-specific isotopic, and enantiomeric measurements will be required to firmly establish whether the complex organic matter detected on Mars derives from bio-tic or abiotic processes. Ultimately, Mars Sample Return of rock cores collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover may be our best chance of identifying chemical biosignatures, including any chiral amino acid asymmetry resulting from a past or present martian biota, if one ever existed on Mars. Here we review our current knowledge of the distributions, and enantiomeric and isotopic com-positions of amino acids found in meteorites compared to terrestrial biochemistry. We also propose a set of measurement criteria that should be used to help establish the sources of any amino acids detected in samples returned from Mars using state-of-the-art gas and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry techniques [1].

D P Glavin↗
NASA NTRS1975

Interdisciplinary application and interpretation of EREP data within the Susquehanna River Basin

The author has identified the following significant results. It has become that lineaments seen on Skylab and ERTS images are not equally well defined, and that the clarity of definition of a particular lineament is recorded somewhat differently by different interpreters. In an effort to determine the extent of these variations, a semi-quantitative classification scheme was devised. In the field, along the crest of Bald Eagle Mountain in central Pennsylvania, statistical techniques borrowed from sedimentary petrography (point counting) were used to determine the existence and location of intensely fractured float rock. Verification of Skylab and ERTS detected lineaments on aerial photography at different scales indicated that the brecciated zones appear to occur at one margin of the 1 km zone of brecciation defined as a lineament. In the Lock Haven area, comparison of the film types from the SL4 S190A sensor revealed the black and white Pan X photography to be superior in quality for general interpretation to the black and white IR film. Also, the color positive film is better for interpretation than the color IR film.

Mcmurtry, G. J.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Ferromagnetic resonance studies of thermal effects on lunar metallic Fe phases

Ferromagnetic resonance results of annealing experiments are discussed which illustrate the thermal effects on lunar metallic iron phases already present in a lunar fines sample. Spectral features of ferromagnetic resonance produced in the sample by heat treatments at temperatures between 600 and 1025 C are described which resemble those detected in lunar breccias and crystalline rocks. A correlation is shown to exist between these features and the degree of thermal metamorphism. It is noted that this correlation can be used as a built-in geothermometer or probe to investigate the thermal history and degree of metamorphism of a lunar sample containing metallic iron phases. The thermal history of a metaclastic rock is analyzed in this way, and it is shown that thermal metamorphism is an effective process for increasing relaxation times or the stability of the natural remanent magnetization carried by single-domain metallic iron particles.

Tsay, F.-D.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The use of LANDSAT imagery to locate uncharted coastal features on the Labrador coast

A survey of several offshore islands, rocks and shoals on the Labrador Coast was performed, using LANDSAT imagery to assist in the location of uncharted hydrographic features. Several satellite coverages of the coast were studied prior to the survey, and suspected shoal points identified. Using map-derived control points and monocomparator measurements of the LANDSAT images, the positions of these points were determined by mathematical adjustment to an estimated position accuracy of 150 meters. As a result, on the survey, an uncharted island and eight uncharted drying rocks, which might easily have escaped detection from a survey ship, were verified and positioned. To check the accuracy of the coordinates derived from LANDSAT, three islands were positioned by standard ground survey methods. The positional differences, all less than 150 meters, are not plottable at the scale of the existing offshore charts. The LANDSAT positions were also used to control aerial photography of a shoal area for office compilation of a hydrographic chart.

Fleming, E. A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Solar proton fluxes since 1956

The fluxes of protons emitted during solar flares since 1956 were evaluated. The depth-versus-activity profiles of Co-56 in several lunar rocks are consistent with the solar proton fluxes detected by experiments on several satellites. Only about 20% of the solar-proton-induced activities of Na-22 and Fe-55 in lunar rocks from early Apollo missions were produced by protons emitted from the sun during solar cycle 20 (1965-1975). The depth-versus-activity data for these radionuclides in several lunar rocks were used to determine the fluxes of protons during solar cycle 19 (1954-1964). The average proton fluxes for cycle 19 are about five times those for both the last million years and for cycle 20 and are about five times the previous estimate for cycle 19 based on neutron-monitor and radio ionospheric measurements. These solar-proton flux variations correlate with changes in sunspot activity.

Reedy, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Late diagenetic indicators of buried oil and gas. 2: Direct detection experiment at Cement and Garza fields, Oklahoma and Texas, using enhanced LANDSAT 1 and 2 images

The author has identified the following significant results. The Cement oil field, Oklahoma, was a test site for an experiment designed to evaluate LANDSAT's capability to detect an alteration zone in surface rocks caused by hydrocarbon microseepage. Loss of iron and impregnation of sandstone by carbonate cements and replacement of gypsum by calcite were the major alteration phenomena at Cement. The bedrock alterations were partially masked by unaltered overlying beds, thick soils, and dense natural and cultivated vegetation. Interpreters, biased by detailed ground truth, were able to map the alteration zone subjectively using a magnified, filtered, and sinusoidally stretched LANDSAT composite image; other interpreters, unbiased by ground truth data, could not duplicate that interpretation.

Donovan, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Possible Evidence for Iron Sulfates, Iron Sulfides, and Elemental Sulfur at Gusev Crater, Mars, from Mer, Crism, and Analog Data

The Mossbauer (MB) spectrometers on the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) Spirit (Gusev crater) and Opportunity (Meridiani Planum) have detected 14 Fe-bearing phases, and mineralogical assignments have been made for all except 3. Identified Fe2+-bearing phases are olivine, pyroxene, ilmenite, and troilite. Magnetite and chromite are present as mixed Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) phases. Identified Fe(3+) phase are jarosite, hematite, goethite, and nanophase ferric oxide (npOx). Fe(sup 0) (iron metal) is present as kamacite. Nanophase ferric oxide (npOx) is a generic name for octahedrally coordinated Fe(3+) alteration products that cannot be otherwise mineralogically assigned on the basis of MER data. On the Earth, npOx would include ferrihydrite, iddingsite, schwertmannite, akaganeite, and superparamagnetic hematite and goethite. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter CRISM instrument, a visible, near-IR hyperspectral imager (approximately 0.35 to 4 micron) enables mineralogical examination of Mars with a tool that is sensitive to H2O and to M-OH (M = Al, Si, Fe, Mg, etc.) at spatial resolution of about 20 m/pixel. We examined a CRISM image of the MER region of Gusev crater (Columbia Hills and plains to the west), looking for spectral evidence of the aqueous process apparent from the MER analyses. We also searched for spectral constraints for the mineralogical composition of our unidentified Fe-bearing phases and the forms of npOx present on Mars. We also consider evidence from analogue samples that the precursor for the goethite detected by MB in Clovis Class rocks is an iron sulfide. We suggest that there is some indirect evidence that elemental sulfur might be present to different extents in Clovis Class rocks, the Fe3Sulfate-rich soils, and perhaps even typical (Laguna Class) surface soils.

Morris, R. V.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Synthesis and Characterization of Fe(III)-Fe(II)- Mg- Al Smectite Solid Solutions and Implications for Planetary Science

This study demonstrates the synergies and limits of multiple measurement types for the detection of smectite chemistry and oxidation state on planetary surfaces to infer past geochemical conditions. Smectite clay minerals are common products of water-rock interactions throughout the solar system, and their detection and characterization provides important clues about geochemical conditions and past environments if sufficient information about their composition can be discerned. Here, we synthesize and report on the spectroscopic properties of a suite of smectite samples that span the intermediate compositional range between Fe(II), Fe(III), Mg, and Al end-member species using bulk chemical analyses, X-ray diffraction, Vis/IR reflectance spectroscopy, UV and green-laser Raman spectroscopy, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Our data show that smectite composition and the oxidation state of octahedral Fe can be reliably identified in the near infrared on the basis of combination and fundamental metal-OH stretching modes between 2.1–2.9 μm, which vary systematically with chemistry. Smectites dominated by Mg or Fe(III) have spectrally distinct fundamental and combination stretches, whereas Al-rich and Fe(II)-rich smectites have similar fundamental minima near 2.76 μm, but have distinct combination M-OH features between 2.24 and 2.36 μm. We show that with expanded spectral libraries that include intermediate composition smectites and both Fe(III) and Fe(II) oxidation states, more refined characterization of smectites from MIR data is now possible, as the position of the 450 cm–1 absorption shifts systematically with octahedral Fe content, although detailed analysis is best accomplished in concert with other characterization methods. Our data also provide the first Raman spectral libraries of smectite clays as a function of chemistry, and we demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy at multiple excitation wavelengths can qualitatively distinguish smectite clays of different structures and can enhance interpretation by other types of analyses. Our sample set demonstrates how X-ray diffraction can distinguish between dioctahedral and trioctahedral smectites using either the (02,11) or (06,33) peaks, but auxiliary information about chemistry and oxidation state aids in specific identifications. Finally, the temperature-dependent isomer shift and quadrupole splitting in Mössbauer data are insensitive to changes in Fe content but reliability differentiates Fe within the smectite mineral structure.

Valerie K Fox↗
NASA NTRS2001

Thermal Infrared Spectral Band Detection Limits for Unidentified Surface Materials

Infrared emission spectra recorded by airborne or satellite spectrometers can be searched for spectral features to determine the composition of rocks on planetary surfaces. Surface materials are identified by detections of characteristic spectral bands. We show how to define whether to accept an observed spectral feature as a detection when the target material is unknown. We also use remotely sensed spectra measured by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) and the Spatially Enhanced Broadband Array Spectrograph System to illustrate the importance of instrument parameters and surface properties on band detection limits and how the variation in signal-to-noise ratio with wavelength affects the bands that are most detectable for a given instrument. The spectrometer's sampling interval, spectral resolution, signal-to-noise ratio as a function of wavelength, and the sample's surface properties influence whether the instrument can detect a spectral feature exhibited by a material. As an example, in the 6-13 micrometer wavelength region, massive carbonates exhibit two bands: a very strong, broad feature at approximately 6.5 micrometers and a less intense, sharper band at approximately 11.25 micrometers. Although the 6.5-micrometer band is stronger and broader in laboratory-measured spectra, the 11.25-micrometer band will cause a more detectable feature in TES spectra.

Kirkland, Laurel E.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Evaluation of the Simple Safe Site Selection (S4) Hazard Detection Algorithm Using Helicopter Field Test Data

Small scale terrain hazards, such as rocks, slopes, and craters, can pose significant risk to landing spacecraft and rover or payload deployment. Onboard Hazard Detection and Avoidance (HDA) systems scan and analyze the landing area for these hazards in real time during descent, and divert the spacecraft to the safest touchdown site. The computationally efficient Simple Safe Site Selection (S4) algorithm combined with a flash LIDAR is an HDA system geared towards small robotic spacecraft. Rather than creating and analyzing a digital elevation map (DEM) from potentially many overlapping range images, S4 operates directly on a single flash LIDAR image. Extending prior work that has analyzed S4 performance for Mars landing using extensive simulations, this paper evaluates S4 performance using actual flash LIDAR images of an artificial hazard field acquired during a 2014 helicopter field test in Death Valley, CA. In particular, we describe LIDAR characterization and calibration, creation of ground truth elevation and safety maps, creation of ground truth sensor poses, actual S4 algorithm processing, and performance analysis. The results show that the safety cost images produced by S4 are remarkably close to the ground truth safety map (computed offline by an HDA algorithm developed under the Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance (ALHAT) project) at significantly reduced computational cost, confirming S4 as a viable candidate algorithm for onboard spacecraft HDA.

Luna, Michael E.↗