Results from the csa ’ s 2015 mars analogue mission in the desert of utah *

The Canadian Space Agency, in partnership with Western University and MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates, conducted a field deployment in the Utah desert in November 2015 to emulate portions of the first steps of a Mars Sample Return mission: the identification and acquisition of scientifically interesting samples. The site was selected because of its scientific relevance to certain regions on Mars, being predominantly of sedimentary nature and preserving evidence of a previous aqueous environment. Equipment being tested at the site included the CSA’s Mars Exploration Science Rover (MESR) equipped with a mini-corer and a 3D microscope mounted on a robotic arm, a suite of cameras, and a LASER range sensor. The rover was remotely controlled over a satellite link from the Canadian Space Agency headquarters in Saint-Hubert, Canada. During the 14-day mission, the rover traversed 234 meters, acquired four samples (regolith and sedimentary material), took microscopic images at every sample location, and acquired several images and 3D LIDAR scans of the site. In addition, X-Ray fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy and X-Ray diffraction measurements were taken from hand-held instruments throughout the mission. Tubed samples have been returned to the science team for analysis, along with additional hand-collected samples from the same sites to give the science team enough material to validate its sample selection strategy.