Data Set Information
DATA_SET_NAME MSL MARS SAMPLE ANALYSIS AT MARS 3 RDR LEVEL 1A V1.0
DATA_SET_ID MSL-M-SAM-3-RDR-L1A-V1.0
NSSDC_DATA_SET_ID
DATA_SET_TERSE_DESCRIPTION
DATA_SET_DESCRIPTION Data Set Overview : The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) suite in the MSL Analytical Laboratory is designed to address the present and past habilitability of Mars by exploring molecular and elemental chemistry relevant to life. SAM addresses carbon chemistry through a search for organic compounds, the chemical state of light elements other than carbon, and isotopic tracers of planetary change. SAM is a suite of three instruments: a Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (QMS), a Gas Chromatograph (GC), and a Tunable Laser Spectrometer (TLS). The QMS and the GC can operate tpgether in a GCMS mode for separation (GC) and definitive identification (QMS) or organic compounds. The mass range of the QMS is 2-535 Da. The TLS obtains precise isotope ratios for C and O in carbon dioxide and H and O in water. It also measures trace levels of methane and its carbon isotope ratio. The three SAM instruments are supported by a sample manipulation system (SMS) and a Chemical Separation and Processing Laboratory (CSPL) that includes high conductance and micro valves, gas manifolds with heaters and temperature monitors, chemical and mechanical pumps, carrier gas reservoirs and regulators, pressure monitors, pyrolysis ovens, and chemical scrubbers and getters. The Mars atmosphere is sampled by CSPL valve and pump manipulations that introduce an appropriate amount of gas through an inlet tube to the SAM instruments. The solid phase materials are sampled by transporting finely- sieved materials to one of 74 SMS sample cups that can then be inserted into a SAM oven and thermally processed for release of volatiles. The SAM L1A data set represents conversion of raw ADC values or counts to science units. Parameters : The SAM L1A data set may contain several types of data, depending on the experiment sequence that it describes. The following types of data may be included: MSG DATA HK DATA QMS DATA GC DATA TLS DATA Processing : Raw data is delivered to the SAM team as Experiment Data Record (EDR) products generated by the Multi-mission Image Processing Laboratory (MIPL) at JPL under the Operations Products Generation Subsystem (POGS), using the telemetry processing software MSLEdrGen. Products are created by MIPL during operations from: a) MPCS data products, b) SPICE kernels, and c) a meta-data database. They are created on the MSL Operations Data Store (ODS) and then deposited intoMIPL's File Exchange Interface (FEI) for electronic distribution to remote sites/ users via a secure subscription protocol. The EDR product is considered NASA packet-level data. SAM EDR data products are stored at the PDS for safekeeping but are not formally archived in PDS. The SAM team converts raw data to a more manageable format, which is stored at PDS as NASA level 0 data. Higher level RDR products represent the results of further data manipulation and interpretation. Details of the processing for L1A are discussed below. Data : The SAM L1A data set is a collection of files containing time- stamped, time-ordered data numbers or text strings. It represents conversion of raw ADC values or counts to science uits. There are separate files for housekeeping and QMS, TLS, and GC science data. It may contain the following types of data, depending on the experiment sequence: MSG DATA -------- The message log file contains time series records of notes pertaining to the experiment execution. The message log data are messages returned from SAM. HK DATA ------- Housekeeping data are time series records taken during the course of the experiment. Data files are labeled with the system parameter name and may consist of the following data types: CDH high-speed CDH low-speed Flight software GC Gas processing system Miscellaneous Motor controller QMS TLS General housekeeping QMS DATA -------- QMS L1A data consists of time series records taken during the course of the experiment. It includes mass-to-charge ratio, counts per second, and RF counts per second. GC DATA ------- GC L1A data consists of time series records taken during the course of the experiment. It includes data for TCD gain and offset. TLS DATA -------- TLS L1A data consists of time series records taken during the course of the experiment. It includes direct and harmonic absorption spectra of the sample. Ancillary Data : No ancillary data are provided. Coordinate System : Several coordinate systems are used by the MSL project. A detailed description can be found in the SAM RDR SIS document found in the Documents directory. Software : No SAM specific software is provided with this data set. All products are ASCII text, viewable in any text editor. TABLE and SPREADSHEET products are also suitable for use in spreadsheet and database management programs.
DATA_SET_RELEASE_DATE 2013-02-27T00:00:00.000Z
START_TIME 2012-09-03T07:16:55.000Z
STOP_TIME N/A (ongoing)
MISSION_NAME MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY
MISSION_START_DATE 2003-10-01T12:00:00.000Z
MISSION_STOP_DATE N/A (ongoing)
TARGET_NAME MARS
TARGET_TYPE PLANET
INSTRUMENT_HOST_ID MSL
INSTRUMENT_NAME SAMPLE ANALYSIS AT MARS
INSTRUMENT_ID SAM
INSTRUMENT_TYPE MASS SPECTROMETER
NODE_NAME Geosciences
ARCHIVE_STATUS LOCALLY ARCHIVED - ACCUMULATING
CONFIDENCE_LEVEL_NOTE Confidence Level Overview : SAM L1A data represent conversion of primitive raw data for SAM to science units. Accuracy of the data presented here is dependent on appropriate use of pre-flight calibration data for engineering and science unit conversions. Review : The SAM RDR was reviewed internally by the SAM team prior to release to the PDS. PDS also performed an external peer review of the SAM RDR. Data Coverage and Quality : Data reported are the processed data received from the rover during nominal SAM operations. This product contains all data received from the rover for a single SAM experiment sequence. If gaps exist in the telemetry from the rover, data are lost. Limitations : The L1A data set is limited by any errors in the L0 data set.
CITATION_DESCRIPTION Mahaffy, P., MSL SAM Level 1A Data,MSL-M-SAM-3-RDR-L1A-V1.0, NASA Planetary Data System, 2013.
ABSTRACT_TEXT TBD (one or two paragraph summary)
PRODUCER_FULL_NAME PAUL MAHAFFY
SEARCH/ACCESS DATA
  • Geosciences Web Services
  • Geosciences Data Volume Online
  • MSL Analysts Notebook
    		•