My post earlier this week discussed the Mars Curiosity rover's first test of one of its extraordinary scientific instruments,
the ChemCam, a laser induced spectroscopy device. But ChemCam is only one of the remarkable scientific tools on the roving Mars laboratory.
Inside Curiosity's body sits CheMin, the X-Ray diffraction instrument. The ChemCam laser can provide a reading on the surface chemical composition of a target sample. But the CheMin will examine powdered core samples acquired by a drill and collection system. ChemMin will then give exact measurements of mineral composition and relative abundance, allowing for precise evaluation of the assay of the sample.
The more I learn about the capacity and range of scientific analysis the Curiosity rover can perform, the more optimistic I am that when the roving science lab reaches its first research objective, Glenelg, during the height of the election campaign in October, there may be spectacular results coming in from Mars.
I believe that just as a war tends to rally support for a President, a NASA triumph that captures the public imagination will also help rally support around President Obama, whose government is presiding over the accomplishment. People who believe in science and respect the legitimacy of the U. S. Government look good when things like this happen. People who disbelieve science and hate the government, that is, the GOP, not so much.
Look on the other side of the flourish for a fascinating video from NASA on how the ChemMin works and what it is capable of. The one hour presentation is worth watching in its entirety, but the first eight or ten minutes will provide an excellent overview.
There are signs that the mission on Mars is receiving a lot of public attention and is increasingly becoming a popular phenomenon. The landing certainly captured a lot of attention. Even as days of dull, methodical testing unfolded after the landing, news coverage remained robust. NASA has seeded Curiosity with lots of quirky features, like code in the tire treads and a lucky penny, that help create and maintain interest in the mission, even when scientific results aren't yet flooding in. The strongest evidence so far that NASA is succeeding in promoting the Mars mission as a cultural phenomenon -- New Angry Birds game features Curiosity Mars rover. Could news from Mars supply an October Surprise that helps tilt the outcome in November? Stay tuned.
BTW, the ChemCam and the ChemMin aren't even the coolest instruments on Curiosity. They just provide context and background readings for the really cool stuff. Stay tuned.
