A brief detail - our non-roving design is called DELPHI, for Deimos Exploration; Landing and PHobos Investigation. Our nanorover design, which will be detailed in this post, is called PALADIN, for Phobos Automotive Lander And Deimos INvestigation.
Most rovers that are equipped with an Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer have it on the end of an arm, so that it can be held against a specific target. MUSES-CN did not, but it was able to turn its body to press against a target. PALADIN, however, has a fixed AXS, held within the body at the proper distance from the surface. This is fine for measuring the composition of the surface regolith, but how will we measure the composition of ejecta blocks*, such as the Phobos Monolith, our primary target?
First, we have an optical spectrometer mounted on the front of the nanorover. By pointing the nanorover towards a boulder, we can take its spectra. An oversized momentum wheel allows the entire nanorover to be tilted up or down as required, pointing the spectrometer any desired target.
Second, on Eros, "ponds" were spotted around boulders (source). These ponds seem to be eroded boulder material, probably due primarily to the expansion and contraction of the boulder between day-night cycles. This seems to suggest that the upper layer of the regolith next to an ejecta block would closely match the composition of the block itself. Thus, by getting close to a block and taking the composition of the surface adjacent to it, the composition of the block can at least be inferred.
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| Credit: Icarus |
The NAC will point forward on the same axis as the optical spectrometer, and will be pointed in the same manner. LiDAR will, if possible, also point forwards, allowing distance measurements and mapping. The microscope will point directly downwards and will be located near the AXS. WAC angles have yet to be decided; one will point forward to provide context for the NAC, and other WACs may be included to provide multiple fields of view.
-Daniel
*DIFP
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