The MicrOmega Investigation Onboard ExoMars
Publication date: 02 June 2017
Authors: Bibring, J.-P., Hamm, V., Pilorget, C., Vago, J.L., and the MicrOmega Team
Journal: Astrobiology
Volume: 17
Issue: 6-7
Page: 621-626
Year: 2017
Copyright: © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
MicrOmega is a visible near-infrared hyperspectral microscope that is designed to characterize the texture and composition of martian samples presented to the instrument within the ExoMars rover's analytical laboratory drawer. The spectral range (0.5–3.65 μm) and the spectral sampling (20 cm-1 from 0.95 to 3.65 μm) of MicrOmega have been chosen to allow the identification of most constituent minerals, ices/frosts, and organics with astrobiological relevance within each 20 × 20 μm² pixel over a 5 × 5 mm² field of view. Such an unprecedented characterization will enable (1) identification of most major and minor phases, including the potential organics; (2) ascription of their mineralogical context, as a critical set of clues with which to decipher their formation process; and (3) location of specific grains or regions of interest in the samples, which will be further analyzed by Raman Laser Spectrometer and/or Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer.
Link to publication