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The ChemCam instrument. Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA (BNS): NASA’s next Mars rover Curiosity will have a new laser instrument named ChemCam when it lands on the Red Planet in 2011.
The completed and tested instrument has been shipped to NASA Jet Porpulsion Laboratory from Los Alamos for installation onto the Curiosity rover.
Chemcam will reveal what elements are present in rocks and soils on Mars up to 7 meters (23 feet) away from the rover.
The laser zaps a pinhead-sized area on the target, vaporizing it. A spectral analyzer then examines the flash of light produced to identify what elements are present.
According to NASA, the mission will launch from Florida during the period November 25 to December 18, 2011.
Curiosity will examine an area of Mars for modern or ancient habitable environments and examine rocks, soil and atmosphere with a diverse payload of tool including the laser.
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