The laser and microphone atop Mars 2020, NASA's next rover | Hacker News Reader

The laser and microphone atop Mars 2020, NASA's next rover

phys.org

76 pointsdnetesn9 comments

Spectrometers have always fascinated me, our ability to understand and build tools capable of analysis right down to atoms/particles level.

I've been meaning to read up on how mass spectrometers and others work at the detailed level. Just their ability to tell so much about various materials and chemical compositions through automated mechanics and analysis. Being able to remotely do it via a laser + high speed camera sounds like a massive capability boost for planetary missions.

Sounds like a fun engineering job to develop them on the cutting edge.

> The Mars 2020 rover marks the third time this particular microphone design will go to the Red Planet, Maurice said. In the late 1990s, the same design rode aboard the Mars Polar Lander, which crashed on the surface. In 2008, the Phoenix mission experienced electronics issues that prevented the microphone from being used.

This is one big downside to working on space missions that I wouldn't miss. It must have been heartbreaking to the developers having both the 1998 Mars Polar lander crash with all of that equipment then having the same one fail nearly a decade later. Hopefully everything goes well in the 2020 mission.

You'd be interested in Ben Krasnow's DiY attempt. It's still understandable but he tries to explain why it's built the way it is and give you a good basis of the theory of operation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIKhUizkXxA

That's awesome, it does a good job of explaining it in layman terms which I needed, thank you.

If you have a math/physics/chem background this is a good book [0]. I used it in my grad course on spectroscopy, it does a decent job walking through the concepts step by step. Spectroscopy is fascinating though, I used Raman Spectroscopy for my research, the amount of information you can get out of some lasers, mirrors, and gratings is amazing.

[0] https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Modern+Spectroscopy%2C+4th+Editi...

I don't have a strong background in those in particular besides relearning basic math (up to linear algebra) and taking an online course in biology. So that one would probably be over my head.

I just want to know how everything works, it's just a matter of priority :)

The other commenters video did a pretty good overview at a basic level.

We're going to be playing the sound track a lot, if it survives landing. The crashed UK lander celebrating Britpop was perhaps a bit more self indulgent at low marginal consequence (if any scientists can show their work was hindered by the art package, I'd love to know)

Wish the UK one had made it. Silly coding error.

Stupid question: Seismographic mapping, as it is done for oil.. is out of the question for a mars rover? If i remember right, you dig down, place a small explosive and then plant a series of microphones..

It's for detecting life on Mars.

If what you fire the laser at screams in pain, it's probably alive.

Dude! That's mean! But it would be awesome to hear wind or other sounds on Mars.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com