Next year is the year of Mars. How does the European Space Agency ExoMars plan to detect life on Mars?

ExoMars exploration by the European Space Agency is the first step of the Aurora Exploration Program, which was jointly developed by ESA, the European Space Agency and the Russian Space Agency. ExoMars plans to send European rovers and Russian ground platforms to the surface of Mars in 2020. The Russian Space Agency proton rocket will be used for the launch mission, and it will take nine months to reach Mars. ExoMars' rover will roam the surface of Mars, looking for signs of life. It will use a drill bit to collect samples and analyze them with a new generation of instruments. ExoMars will be the first mission to combine the ability of surface motion detection and in-depth research on Mars.

During the launch and cruise phases, a carrier module of the European Space Agency will transport the ground platform and rover inside the protective cover. Shortly after reaching the atmosphere of Mars, the descent capsule will be separated from the launch vehicle. During the descent phase, the heat shield will protect the payload from the intense heat flow. Parachutes, propellers and shock absorption systems will slow down the speed and allow controlled landing on the surface of Mars.

The scientific objectives of ExoMars are:

? Look for signs of past or present life on Mars.

? Study shallow groundwater sources to determine whether there is water, whether it is liquid or other forms.

? Investigate trace gases in the atmosphere of Mars and their sources.

The above activities will be carried out in accordance with the European Space Agency's planetary protection policy, which is in line with the space planetary protection recommendations. Another goal of ExoMars is to provide data relay service for the lander on the surface of Mars through TGO tracking gas orbiter until the end of 2022.

The 2.9-ton SCC spacecraft composite was developed by Thales Lenya Aerospace Company of Italy under the contract of the European Space Agency. The CM carrier module and the 2-ton DM descent module provided by the Russian Space Agency will carry the 350-kilogram Mars probe module provided by the European Space Agency.

The lander is a surface platform for studying the Martian environment at the landing site. The planned life of the lander is 2 Earth years, and it will include 65,438+02 instruments: TSPP4 camera, mtk meteorological suite, rat-m radiometer, maigret magnetometer, SAM detector, Laura Mars geodetic instrument, pk dust research instrument, m-dls atmospheric laser spectrometer, trace gas Fourier spectrometer, mgak Mars gas analysis module, adron-em dust analysis spectrometer and humidity and dust research instrument.

ISEM, outer mars infrared spectrometer

ISEM is an infrared spectrometer that can be detected by pencil beam. It will measure solar radiation in the near infrared range and make an overall environmental assessment of the surface mineralogy near the Mars probe. The instrument will be installed on the mast of the rover, and will run with scientific loads such as panorama camera PanCam and high-resolution camera HRC. ISEM will study the mineralogical and petrological composition of the surface of Mars near the probe and combine it with other remote sensing instruments.

Scientists are particularly interested in hydrous minerals, such as layered silicates, sulfates, carbonates and other minerals. The instrument can cover the spectral range from 1. 15 to 3.30. The ISEM optical head is installed on the mast, and its electronic box is located in the rover. In addition, the mass of ISEM is 1.74 kg.

ISEM is installed on the mast of the rover together with PanCam high-resolution camera and wide-angle camera WAC. Through the translation and tilt structure of the mast, ISEM can point to a specific direction in azimuth and elevation. In normal operation, PanCam and WAC with a field of view of 37×37 will image a large panorama, while PanCam HRC with a field of view of 5×5 will image several targets in the panorama with high resolution.

The main scientific objectives of ISEM are:

? Find and study minerals containing hydroxyl or water.

? Geological survey and research on the topmost minerals and rocks on the surface of Mars.

? Identify and map the structure of any signs of water erosion at the landing site.

? Real-time evaluation of the surface composition of the selected area to support the identification and selection of the most promising drilling location.

? During the limited observation period, the characteristics of atmospheric dust and the changes of atmospheric gas composition should be studied as much as possible.

Ma_MISS, Mars multispectral underground research imager

Ma_MISS experiment is a visible near-infrared VNIR miniaturized spectrometer carried by ExoMars 2020 Franklin probe rig system. Ma_MISS will perform infrared spectral reflectance between 0.4 and 2.2? M, the depth of the hole wall excavated according to the mineralogical characteristics is between 1cm and 2m. Using the motion characteristics of the drill string, the instrument slit can scan the drill string and establish the hyperspectral image of the borehole. The main goal of Ma_MISS instrument is to study the underground environment of Mars. At the landing site of ExoMars 2020, underground sediments may contain and preserve water ice and hydrated substances, which will help us understand the information about water on Mars.

The spectral range and sampling ability of Ma_MISS are carefully selected to study minerals and other substances in situ before collecting samples. Ma_MISS is located in the drill bit of ExoMars Franklin rover, which is the closest instrument to the surface of Mars. Ma_MISS will image the borehole wall formed by the drilling machine to study the mineralogy and rock formation of Mars. This will provide valuable information for the study of underground rock and soil layers. The distribution and state of water-related minerals will also help to describe the physical environment of Mars.

Ma_MISS can illuminate the cylindrical wall of the hole through the window on the drilling tool. It will capture the reflected light, analyze its spectrum, and transmit the data of pore stratigraphy to the rover computer for further analysis, and return to Earth.

Automatic neutron radiation detector

ADRON-RM is a Russian project, which was selected as a joint landing mission by the European Space Agency. A compact passive neutron star spectrometer, ADRON-RM, was designed by the Russian Space Agency to study water and neutron elements along the ExoMars detector.

On the probe, ADRON-RM will measure the spatial variability of neutron flux on the surface of Mars. The instrument will also continuously monitor the neutron composition of the radiation background, and increase our understanding of the radiation on the surface of Mars, which will provide information for the future human mission to mars.

The main objectives of ADRON-RM scientific research include:

? Measure the volume hydrogen content distribution along the fixed platform position and mobile station.

? Evaluate the volume composition of main soil neutron absorbing elements along the fixed platform position and flow conductor.

? The neutron composition of natural radiation background is monitored, and the neutron irradiance on the surface of Mars is estimated from GCRs cosmic rays and SPEs solar particle events.

ADRON-RM is an integrated module, and its principle and design come from the DAN neutron dynamic albedo on NASA's 201kloc-0/MSL rover mission. DAN consists of two independent units integrated on both sides of the detector, namely the pulsed neutron generator and the detection unit. DAN can work in active and passive measurement modes. In active mode, the DNA/ PNG pulsed neutron generator generates 2? S-pulse high-energy neutron.

CLUPI, close-up imager

CLUPI on ExoMars is a powerful high-resolution color camera, designed for close observation, and there are many angles to choose from on the mobile drilling rig. The scientific goal of this instrument is to describe the geological characteristics of rocks according to their structures and colors, and to find out the potential biological characteristics. CLUPI will obtain close-up images of rocks, drilling tops and other data by surveying the geological environment.

The camera system will take images of rocks and loose materials in a very fine way, with resolutions ranging from tens of microns to several centimeters. These images will help scientists determine the environment, such as water environment, volcanic environment and so on.

Another very important goal of CLUPI is to discover the morphology and biological characteristics of rocks. There are very few kinds of primitive microorganisms that may exist on Mars, all smaller than one micron or larger than several microns, but their bacterial colonies and biofilms are much larger. Traces of these features may be preserved in Martian rocks in the form of carbon residues. CLUPI is also an imager, which has the focusing ability from 10 cm to infinity. In order to give a color image, the camera has three layers of pixels, namely red, green and blue.

MOMA, Mars organic molecular analyzer

The purpose of MOMA instrument on Mars rover is to analyze volatile and refractory organic compounds in Martian surface and underground sediments. MOMA must volatilize organic matter to be detected by mass spectrometer MS. How to volatilize organic matter? There are two operation modes: evaporation induction or thermochemical decomposition and volatilization.

MS, its driving electronics and main electronic equipment are jointly developed by GSFC, Goddard Space Flight Center of NASA, Space Physics Research Laboratory of the University of Michigan and Bater Engineering Company. The laser driver electronics are built on MPS, and the laser head LH is designed and built in LZH of Hanover Laser Center. In addition, MOMA is the largest instrument in the exo-Mars probe.

Miniature image system

MicrOmega is a visible near-infrared hyperspectral microscope, which aims to study the structure and composition of Mars samples, and these samples will be placed on ExoMars small analytical laboratory instruments. The spectral range is about 0.5 to 3.65? M, the spectral sampling range is 0.95 ~ 3.65? M. micromaga has been able to identify most mineral components.

MicrOmega is mainly used to identify the mineral and molecular composition of Mars samples on the particle scale. MicrOmega, together with MOMA and RLS spectrometers just mentioned, will analyze the characteristics of the collected samples, especially the organic matter that may be contained in them. The comprehensive data of these instruments will be very important for describing the past and present geological process, climate and environment of Mars, especially for determining the evidence of the existence of carbon or water.

Panoramic camera

PanCam can cooperate with other scientific loads to establish the landform background of the surface map for this task. The design of PanCam includes a pair of stereo wide-angle cameras WACs, each with a filter wheel at 1 1 and a high-resolution camera HRC, which is used to investigate rock texture at a long distance and with high resolution. Cameras and electronic devices are placed on the optical experimental platform to provide a mechanical interface between the rover mast and the planetary protection barrier.

PanCam will also support the scientific measurement of other rover instruments. It will capture high-resolution images of inaccessible places, such as craters or rock walls. It can also monitor the drilled samples, then ingest them and crush them in the rover for analysis.

Raman laser spectrometer

Raman spectrometer is a famous analytical technique based on inelastic scattering of incident monochromatic light. It has many applications in laboratory and industry, but it is rarely used in space.

The Raman instrument of ExoMars 2020 consists of three main units: transmission spectrometer coupled to CCD detector, electronic box, laser for controlling instrument function, optical head with self-focusing function and instrument for illuminating and collecting scattered light from the measured point.

Raman instruments provide powerful data for the final identification and characterization of minerals and biomarkers. Raman spectroscopy is sensitive to the composition and structure of any mineral or organic compound. This ability provides direct information about the existing or past life characteristics of Mars, as well as the sedimentary process of igneous and metamorphic rocks.

Raman will also support scientific measurement by linking its spectral information with other spectral and imaging instruments (such as MicrOmega infrared spectrometer). In addition, Raman instruments can measure samples within a few minutes, so as to release the selected samples for further analysis by other ExoMars instruments (such as MOMA instruments).

Wisdom wisdom water ice underground deposition observation radar

Finding evidence of past or present life on Mars is the main goal of ExoMars rover mission. Where can I find such evidence? It may be underground, where organic molecules will not be destroyed by ionizing radiation.

Therefore, the design of intelligent ground penetrating radar can provide a vertical resolution of 3 to 10 m (resolution of 3 cm), which depends on the dielectric characteristics of weathered layer. This depth range is very important for understanding the distribution and state of geological evolution strata and groundwater. At the same time, intelligent mine detection also provides important clues for finding life and determining the best drilling site.

Intelligent radar will provide a detailed view of its shallow underground structure by detecting the upper surface of Mars. Different from the traditional imaging system or spectrometer, the traditional imaging system or spectrometer is limited to the study of visible light surface, while the intelligent ground penetrating radar can provide the three-dimensional geological background map of the terrain covered by the rover.

Wisdom will use the radar pulse of UHF ground penetrating radar (frequency range from 500 MHz to 3 MHz) to remotely study the properties of underground structures and draw underground maps. It will provide high-resolution measurement, with a vertical resolution of 3 cm and a depth of 3 m, which is complementary to the length of the probe bit of 2 m.. The instrument can send and receive signals through two small antennas installed on the back of the rover. Intelligent survey will determine the best drilling location by determining the nature, location and size of potential targets.

In fact, when you see it here, you will understand that ExoMars, no matter what scientific load it is, revolves around finding organic matter or life on Mars. Indeed, whether there is life on Mars is the question that scientists and we want to explore most. In addition, ExoMars also needs to study the shallow underground structure and surface structure, and draw some professional maps. In this way, we can know whether there are traces of rivers on the surface of Mars and whether there is groundwater on Mars.

A new era of Mars exploration is coming. China's Mars probe, NASA's Mars 2020 probe, and ExoMars of the European Space Agency and the Russian Space Agency are all excellent missions. Paying attention to the environment and life on Mars is to prepare for the future human mission to mars, and even to move to Mars.

The problem of many years is about to be uncovered, and Mars will become the deepest planet known to mankind since the moon. Come on, 2020.