Proyecto de Investigación: PTAL 687302
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687302
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Raman semi-quantification on Mars: ExoMars RLS system as a tool to better comprehend the geological evolution of martian crust
(Elsevier BV, 2021-10-13) Veneranda, M.; Manrique, J. A.; García Prieto, C.; Sanz Arranz, A.; Lalla, E.; Kostantinidis, M.; Moral, A.; Medina, J.; Rull, F.; Nieto, L. M.; López Reyes, G.; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); European Research Council (ERC); Redes de Excelencia, SIGUE-Mars: Ciencia e Instrumentación para el estudio de procesos (bio)geoquímicos en marte, RED2018-102600-T
This work presents the latest chemometric tools developed by the RLS science team to optimize the scientific outcome of the Raman system onboard the ExoMars 2022 rover. Feldspar, pyroxene and olivine samples were first analyzed through the RLS ExoMars Simulator to determine the spectroscopic indicators to be used for a proper discrimination of mineral phases on Mars. Being the main components of Martian basaltic rocks, lepidocrocite, augite and forsterite were then used as mineral proxies to prepare binary mixtures. By emulating the operational constraints of the RLS, Raman datasets gathered from laboratory mixtures were used to build external calibration curves. Providing excellent coefficients of determination (R2 0.9942÷0.9997), binary curves were finally used to semi-quantify ternary mixtures of feldspar, pyroxene and olivine minerals. As Raman results are in good agreement with real concentration values, this work suggests the RLS could be effectively used to perform semi-quantitative mineralogical studies of the basaltic geological units found at Oxia Planum. As such, crucial information about the geological evolution of Martian Crust could be extrapolated. In light of the outstanding scientific impact this analytical method could have for the ExoMars mission, further methodological improvements to be discussed in a dedicated work are finally proposed.
ExoFiT trial at the Atacama Desert (Chile): Raman detection of biomarkers by representative prototypes of the ExoMars/Raman Laser Spectrometer
(Nature Research Journals, 2021-01-14) Veneranda, M.; López Reyes, G.; Saiz, J.; Manrique, J. A.; Sanz Arranz, A.; Medina, J.; Moral, A.; Seoane, L.; Ibarmia, S.; Rull, F.; European Research Council (ERC); Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI)
In this work, the analytical research performed by the Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) team during the ExoFiT trial is presented. During this test, an emulator of the Rosalind Franklin rover was remotely operated at the Atacama Desert in a Mars-like sequence of scientific operations that ended with the collection and the analysis of two drilled cores. The in-situ Raman characterization of the samples was performed through a portable technology demonstrator of RLS (RAD1 system). The results were later complemented in the laboratory using a bench top RLS operation simulator and a X-Ray diffractometer (XRD). By simulating the operational and analytical constraints of the ExoMars mission, the two RLS representative instruments effectively disclosed the mineralogical composition of the drilled cores (k-feldspar, plagioclase, quartz, muscovite and rutile as main components), reaching the detection of minor phases (e.g., additional phyllosilicate and calcite) whose concentration was below the detection limit of XRD. Furthermore, Raman systems detected many organic functional groups (–C≡N, –NH2 and C–(NO2)), suggesting the presence of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms in the samples. The Raman detection of organic material in the subsurface of a Martian analogue site presenting representative environmental conditions (high UV radiation, extreme aridity), supports the idea that the RLS could play a key role in the fulfilment of the ExoMars main mission objective: to search for signs of life on Mars.
Raman spectroscopy and planetary exploration: Testing the ExoMars/RLS system at the Tabernas Desert (Spain)
(Elsevier BV, 2021-06-12) Veneranda, M.; López Reyes, G.; Manrique, J. A.; Sánz Arranz, A.; Medina, J.; Pérez, C.; Quintana, C.; Moral, A.; Rodríguez, J. A.; Zafra, J.; Nieto Calzada, L. M.; Rull, F.; European Research Council (ERC); Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI)
ExoFit trials are field campaigns financed by ESA to test the Rosalind Franklin rover and to enhance collaboration practices between ExoMars working groups. During the first trial, a replicate of the ExoMars rover was remotely operated from Oxfordshire (United Kingdom) to perform a complex sequence of scientific operation at the Tabernas Desert (Spain). By following the ExoMars Reference Surface Mission (RSM), the rover investigated the Badlands subsoil and collected drill cores, whose analytical study was entrusted to the RLS (Raman Laser Spectrometer) team. The preliminary characterization of core samples was performed in situ through the RLS Engineering and Qualification Model (EQM-2) and the Raman Demonstrator (RAD1), being this a new, portable emulator of the RLS. In situ results where then complemented by laboratory analysis using the RLS ExoMars simulator and the commercial version of the Curiosity/CheMin XRD system. Raman data, obtained by closely simulating the operational constraints of the mission, successfully disclosed the mineralogical composition of the samples, reaching the detection of minor/trace phases that were not detected by XRD. More importantly, Raman analysis detected many vibrational peaks potentially emitted by organic functional groups, thus suggesting the presence of microorganisms in the arid sub-surface of the Tabernas Desert. In light of the forthcoming ExoMars mission, the results here presented proves that RLS could play a critical role in the characterization of Martian sub-surface environments and in the analytical detection of potential traces of live.
Analytical database of Martian minerals (ADaMM): Project synopsis and Raman data overview
(Wiley Analytical Science, 2021-08-12) Veneranda, M.; Sanz Arranz, A.; Manrique, J. A.; Saiz, M.; García Prieto, C.; Pascual Sánchez, E.; Medina, J.; Konstantinidis, M.; Lalla, E.; Moral, A.; Nieto, L. M.; Rull, F.; López Reyes, G.; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); European Commission (EC); Veneranda, M. [0000-0002-7185-2791]; Lalla, E. A. [0000-0002-0005-1006]; Moral, A. G. [0000-0002-6190-8560]; López Reyes, G. [0000-0003-1005-1760]
The Mars2020/Perseverance and ExoMars/Rosalind Franklin rovers are both slated to return the first Raman spectra ever collected from another planetary surface, Mars. In order to optimize the rovers scientific outcome, the scientific community needs to be provided with tailored tools for data treatment and interpretation. Responding to this need, the purpose of the Analytical Database of Martian Minerals (ADaMM) project is to build an extended multianalytical database of mineral phases that have been detected on Mars or are expected to be found at the landing sites where the two rovers will operate. Besides the use of conventional spectrometers, the main objective of the ADaMM database is to provide access to data collected by means of laboratory prototypes simulating the analytical performances of the spectroscopic systems onboard the Mars 2020 and ExoMars rovers. Planned to be released to the public in 2022, ADaMM will also provide access to data treatment and visualization tools developed in the framework of the mentioned space exploration missions. As such, the present work seeks to provide an overview of the ADaMM online platform, spectral tools, and mineral collection. In addition to that, the manuscript describes the Raman spectrometers used to analyze the mineral collection and presents a representative example of the analytical performance ensured by the Raman prototypes assembled to simulate the Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) and SuperCam systems.
ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer: A Tool for the Potential Recognition of Wet-Target Craters on Mars
(Mary Ann Liebert Publishers, 2020-03-02) Veneranda, M.; López Reyes, G.; Manrique, J. A.; Medina García, J.; Ruiz Galende, P.; Torre Fdez, I.; Castro, K.; Lantz, C.; Poulet, F.; Dypvik, H.; Werner, S. C.; Rull, F.; Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI); Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO); European Research Council (ERC); López Reyes, G. [0000-0003-1005-1760]; Ruiz, P. [0000-0003-0181-3532]; Manrique, J. A. [0000-0002-2053-2819]; Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737
In the present work, near-infrared, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, Raman, and X-ray diffractometer techniques have been complementarily used to carry out a comprehensive characterization of a terrestrial analogue selected from the Chesapeake Bay impact structure (CBIS). The obtained data clearly highlight the key role of Raman spectroscopy in the detection of minor and trace compounds, through which inferences about geological processes occurred in the CBIS can be extrapolated. Beside the use of commercial systems, further Raman analyses were performed by the Raman laser spectrometer (RLS) ExoMars Simulator. This instrument represents the most reliable tool to effectively predict the scientific capabilities of the ExoMars/Raman system that will be deployed on Mars in 2021. By emulating the analytical procedures and operational restrictions established by the ExoMars mission rover design, it was proved that the RLS ExoMars Simulator can detect the amorphization of quartz, which constitutes an analytical clue of the impact origin of craters. Beside amorphized minerals, the detection of barite and siderite, compounds crystallizing under hydrothermal conditions, helps indirectly to confirm the presence of water in impact targets. Furthermore, the RLS ExoMars Simulator capability of performing smart molecular mappings was successfully evaluated.
