Instrument Information
IDENTIFIER urn:nasa:pds:context:instrument:meca_afm.phx::1.1
NAME MECA ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE
TYPE MICROSCOPE
DESCRIPTION The MECA instrument suite is a component of the Mars '07 Phoenix investigation, which will also return data from a Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA), three cameras, and a meteorology suite (MET). Phoenix is motivated by the goals of (1) studying the history of water in all its phases, and (2) searching for habitable zones. Samples of surface and subsurface soil and ice will be delivered to MECA and TEGA from a trench excavated by a Robot Arm (RA), while MECA's Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe (TECP) will be deployed in soil and air by the Robot Arm. The Robot Arm Camera (RAC) will document the morphology of the trench walls, while the Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) and the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) establish a geological context. Throughout the mission, MET will monitor polar weather and local water transport. The MECA instrument suite is composed of an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), a Thermal Electrical Conductivity Probe (TECP) and a Wet Chemistry Laboratory (WCL).
MODEL IDENTIFIER
NAIF INSTRUMENT IDENTIFIER
SERIAL NUMBER not applicable
REFERENCES Hecht, M.H., J. Marshall, W.T. Pike, U. Staufer, D. Blaney, D. Braendlin, S. Gautsch, W. Goetz, H.-R. Hidber, H.U. Keller, W.J. Markiewicz, A. Mazer, T.P. Meloy, J.M. Morookian, C. Mogensen, D. Parrat, P.H. Smith, H. Sykulska, R.J. Tanner, A. Tonin, S. Vijendran, M. Weilert, P.M. Woida, Microscopy capabilities of the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA), submitted to J. Geophys. Res., 2008.