Although there is nothing except a valuable little rover on Mars named Curiosity, there is a ton of Canadian energy, ingenuity and funding behind a vital part of the rover’s mission.
The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), which was designed by University of Guelph professor Ralf Gellert is designed to analyse the composition of Mars’ soil and rock. That debris will allow scientist on our planet to study the history of the Red Planet based on the amount of a seemingly normal thing; clay.
As detailed in the Globe and Mail, clay comes into being formed when a planet’s atmosphere is warm and moist enough to support life forms. The ability to locate clay on Mars would allow Professor Gellert and his team to attempt to put the discovery into context.
Using both a camera and laser, the APXS allows Curiosity to explore the planet while examining anything it stumbles upon that is of interest. After a rapid first take, if anything is deemed to be worth checking out, a sample is taken with a small drill and shovel attached to the pop can-sized device and places the sample into the rover. Further analysis is done by components within the multi-million dollar device for the final determination.
Unfortunately for those who lack patience, the full analysis can take days, however the answers it could provide would be worth the $2.5 billion NASA has put into the project. There once was water on Mars, meaning that along with a warm and fertile atmosphere (thanks to clay) the conditions were in place to support life.
The rover’s first few days have been very precautionary, but hopefully we hear about the AXPS, Professor Gellert sooner rather than later. The project involved construction from Canadian firm MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd with funding from the Canadian Space Agency, who should all be proud of their contribution to our space discovery.
Check out some genuine space genius excitement below as NASA watches their beloved rover land.
The 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook is Now Available for $350
Bell Posts Impressive Q2 Numbers, Raise Dividend
Lunches So Good Kids Can’t Ignore Them
Invigorating Ginger Smoothie
The U.K.’s Youngest Parents Ever
The new hair Jennifer Lawrence