NASA attaches ‘super instrument’ on Mars 2020 rover

Although launching a rover on Mars in 2020 is still a long way ago, NASA is still working hard on the craft and has now recently attached an all-in-one ‘super instrument’ comprising camera, laser, and spectrometer.

NASA’s Mars 2020 rover is already taking shape and the recent addition in it is a tool called ‘SuperCam’, which NASA describes as a ‘Super Instrument’ having a camera, a laser, and a spectrometer too. NASA explained that the instrument is important as it will help scientists understand vital stuff about Mars.

The instrument, as per NASA, consists of a mass unit and a body unit that work together for giving scientists as much information about the Martian surface samples as possible. The instrument can ‘identify the chemical and mineral makeup of targets as small as a pencil from a distance of over 20ft’.

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“SuperCam’s rock-zapping laser allows scientists to analyze the chemical composition of its targets,” researcher Soren Madsen, said. “It lets the Mars 2020 rover conduct its cutting-edge science from a distance.”

Moreover, the rover will be able to travel upwards of ten miles as soon as it arrives on the Red Planet. The SuperCam will be used to examine Martian rocks and soil, looking for organic compounds that could be related to Mars’ past life.

The Mars 2020 mission, which is yet to receive an official name, will be launched next year in July, but won’t reach the planet until February 2021.

“SuperCam has come a long way from being a bold and ambitious idea to an actual instrument,” said SuperCam deputy principal investigator, Sylvestre Maurice. “While it still has a long way to go — all the way to Mars — this is a great day for not only SuperCam but the amazing consortium that put it together.”