Electron beam enabled surface composition, charge, and adsorbed gas determination [of Mars]

The Human Exploration and Development of Space Roadmap calls for Human Missions to Mars and other planets in the 2010 to 2023 timeframe. This paper describes a proposal written in response to the Announcement of Opportunity (A099-HEDS-01) for definition studies preparing for the human exploration of Mars. Specifically, the proposal addressed the call for the development of innovative instrument concepts aimed at studying soil, dust, and environmental interactions for 2005 Mission Opportunities. The objective of the proposed study was to determine the feasibility, under simulated Martian ambient conditions, of a suite of miniature instruments performing correlated measurements of sample surfaces. A novel Atmospheric Electron X-ray Spectrometer (AEXS), an optical microscope capable of producing low magnification images, an electrometer, and a fiber optic oxygen sensor fitted with a resistive heater comprised the proposed instrument suite.