Instrument Information
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| IDENTIFIER |
urn:nasa:pds:context:instrument:tega.phx::1.2
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| NAME |
Phoenix Lander Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer
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| TYPE |
Spectrometer
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| DESCRIPTION |
The Phoenix Lander Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) was composed of two separate components which were closely coupled: a Scanning Calorimeter (SC) and a mass spectrometer as an Evolved Gas Analyzer (EGA). TEGA had the capability of performing scanning calorimetry on eight small soil samples selected in the vicinity of the lander. The samples were heated in ovens to temperatures up to 1000C, and the volatile compounds (e.g., water and carbon dioxide), which were released during the heating, were analyzed in the EGA. The power required by the sample oven was continuously monitored during the heating, allowing analysis of both endothermic and exothermic phase transitions, which could be used to identify the phases present. By correlating the gas release with the calorimetry, the abundance and composition of the volatile compounds associated with the different phases could be determined. The EGA mass spectrometer was sensitive to detection levels down to 10 parts per billion, a level that might detect minute quantities of organic molecules potentially existing in the ice and soil.
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| MODEL IDENTIFIER |
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| NAIF INSTRUMENT IDENTIFIER |
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| SERIAL NUMBER |
not applicable
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| REFERENCES |
Boynton, W. V., H. Enos, C. Fellows, D. K. Hamara, K. Harshman, M. S. Williams, M. R. Fitzgibbon, M. Finch, G. Droege, J. Hoffman, D. W. Ming, and P. Niles, The Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer on the Phoenix Mars Lander, J. Geophys. Res., in prep.
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