ChemCam at a glance
The ChemCam instrument is an international collaboration led by Los Alamos National Laboratory in the United States and the Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planetologie in France.
ChemCam is on the Curiosity rover, exploring Gale Crater at Mars since 2012. It is used to perform rapid chemical and microscopic reconnaissance
Pulsed laser vaporizes targets up to 5 meters away. The spectrum of light from the laser-induced plasma reveals the chemical composition of the targets in seconds. ChemCam can detect most elements!
It also provides images of targets with high-resolution (can see a human hair 2 meters away).
ChemCam slide show
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ChemCam mosaic
Curiosity Mission Updates
- To Dip a Toe or Not To Dip a Toe…on 25 January 2021 at 0 h 00 min
Today's title image shows how diverse the area is that Curiosity is currently travelling through, with a part of a wheel for scale. A close look such as this one reveals […]
JPL Mars news
- 6 Things to Know About NASA's Mars Helicopter on Its Way to Marson 21 January 2021 at 0 h 00 min
Ingenuity, a technology experiment, is preparing to attempt the first powered, controlled flight on the Red Planet.
- NASA to Host Virtual Briefing on February Perseverance Mars Rover Landingon 15 January 2021 at 0 h 00 min
NASA leadership and members of the mission will discuss the agency’s latest rover, which touches down on the Red Planet on Feb. 18.
- NASA InSight's ‘Mole' Ends Its Journey on Marson 14 January 2021 at 0 h 00 min
The heat probe hasn’t been able to gain the friction it needs to dig, but the mission has been granted an extension to carry on with its other science.
Curiosity Mission Updates
- To Dip a Toe or Not To Dip a Toe…on 25 January 2021 at 0 h 00 min
Today's title image shows how diverse the area is that Curiosity is currently travelling through, with a part of a wheel for scale. A close look such as this one reveals all the different textures of rock surfaces, sets of ripples, some big rocks and small pieces of rock accumulated in patches. […]
- Sols 3010-3012: Bonjour, Nontron (Mars)on 25 January 2021 at 0 h 00 min
Curiosity is continuing to make her way through the fractured intermediate unit toward the sulfate unit. After an 80-meter drive in our last plan, Curiosity has officially crossed into the new quadrant "Nontron" and parked with this amazing view (see image). And after more than 1000 sols visiting […]
- Sols 3003-3006: On the Road Againon 19 January 2021 at 0 h 00 min
We began planning today with the good news that we received some of the previously expected data and could plan "targeted" observations on specific targets identified in the new images. One catch was that higher-resolution workspace images, a pre-requisite to using the rover arm's Dust Removal Tool […]
- Sols 3001-3002: Hold Up!on 13 January 2021 at 0 h 00 min
After each time Curiosity finishes a drive, the science team eagerly awaits the downlink of what is termed "post-drive imaging," or PDI, to visualize our surroundings and to target areas of the surface for investigation. Sometimes, the expected PDI downlink is delayed, which can happen for a […]
- Sols 2999-3000: 3000 Sols of Exploration!on 12 January 2021 at 0 h 00 min
Three thousand sols and never a dull moment! Today we planned Sols 2999-3000 and it was a real reminder of how complex and rewarding this mission can be. Curiosity has recently completed an investigation of the "Sands of Forvie" ripple field and we are working our way back to the path that we plan […]