Education: Mars Exploration Rover and Beagle 2 Missions

Both the Beagle 2 ESA lander and the NASA Mars Exploration Rovers have complex instrument packages designed to test of the presence of evidence for water and life on Mars. Many of these instruments are spectrometers.

Planetary scientists who are mineral spectroscopists use a wide range of tools in their research. The type of spectroscopy used depends upon the kind of information that is desired, as well as the experimental configuration (laboratory-based vs. remote observations from a satellite), and the type of samples available. Click on one of these links for:

1. Daily mission updates, and general background information about Mars.

2. A simple lesson plan about using Mössbauer spectroscopy to understand the mineralogy of the martian surface.

3. A list of different types of spectroscopy used in planetary exploration, and links to pages explaining them.

4. A list of useful web sites on the science of mineralogy!

5. A list of minerals suggested to be found on the surface of Mars.

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This Web site is supported by NASA grant NAG5-12687 and Mount Holyoke College.
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