Could life exist on other planets? A Canadian designed instrument called the APXS (alpha ray X-ray spectrometer) will be one of ten helping NASA's rover in the quest to find the possibility of habitat on the red planet, Mars. They will be launched in mid-September 2011. Weighing just 500 grams, the instrument is about the size of a trade paperback book and hidden in the rover's belly. It uses 20 times less power than that of a 40 watt light bulb.
The APXS is designed to withstand the shaking of the rocket launch, large temperature fluctuations, as well as being tough enough to be on Mars without needing repairs. There is no way to repair i from 50 million kilometers away on Earth.
"The APXS contains a radioactive source that shoots alpha particles at a rock sample. When the particles hit the nuclei of atoms inside the rock, several things can happen", says an article on the CBC website. "The new Mars APXS machine is faster and more versatile than its predecessors." The article says that earlier versions needed all night to to take one measurement, when the new machine only requires a few hours.
If life could exist on other planets, at least now we can hope that this new technology will find it.
Click this link for the article
The APXS is designed to withstand the shaking of the rocket launch, large temperature fluctuations, as well as being tough enough to be on Mars without needing repairs. There is no way to repair i from 50 million kilometers away on Earth.
"The APXS contains a radioactive source that shoots alpha particles at a rock sample. When the particles hit the nuclei of atoms inside the rock, several things can happen", says an article on the CBC website. "The new Mars APXS machine is faster and more versatile than its predecessors." The article says that earlier versions needed all night to to take one measurement, when the new machine only requires a few hours.
If life could exist on other planets, at least now we can hope that this new technology will find it.
Click this link for the article
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