Reader Response Draft 2.5

The webpage “Robotic Arm” (NASA, n.d.) introduces Mars' Perseverance’s robotic arm. The robotic arm collects rock samples and stores them for analysis. The Perseverance’s robotic arm consists of scientific cameras, a drill, Gaseous Dust Removal Tool (GDRT), five degrees of freedom rotary actuators and a ground contact sensor. There are three scientific cameras, WATSON, SHERLOC and PIXL. The rover's drill has three interchangeable drill bits. The abrader, coring and regolith bits. The coring and regolith bits are used to collect and store samples while the abrader bit removes the surface layer of rocks to reveal a clean, smooth surface for analysis. The GDRT  then uses nitrogen gas to reveal the inner layer of the rock for analysis (Brockie, 2021).The five degrees of freedom rotary actuators allow the robotic arm to move in five different axes. The ground contact sensor sends a signal to the robotic arm to stop its movement to prevent it from touching the ground (Robotic Arm, n.d.). The mission of the Perseverance is to search for signs of microbial life, in particular, special rocks that are known to preserve signs of life over time. The rover collects the special rocks as well as Martian soil and stores them. These samples will facilitate NASA's pursuit for discovering the past habitability of Mars.


The scientific cameras and the drill on the robotic arm of the Perseverance are key components of the rover and is the main factor of the rover being able to accomplish its mission. 


The scientific cameras are the first feature of the robotic arm that is essential for accomplishing its mission. The cameras are used to analyze the past habitability of Mars, and choose the most valuable samples to collect and store. As mentioned in the webpage “Watson” (NASA, n.d.), WATSON is used to take zoomed in pictures of targets of interest that contain signs of microbial life searched by SHERLOC. Images captured by WATSON show detailed textures and grains of targets of interest (NASA,n.d.). The SHERLOC is able to ascertain and classify the chemical and mineralogical makeup of rocks by using a 248.6nm deep ultraviolet laser(Uckert et al., 2021).  PIXL functions similarly to SHERLOC. However, it is able to identify chemical elements at a miniscule level. The PIXL is able to observe the chemical elements on submillimeter scales.  As mentioned in the article "Mars 2020, Seeking evidence of Life with Micro-XRF Spectroscopy" (XOS, n.d.), the measurements by PIXL enables a comprehensive view of the processes of rock formation and alteration which is paramount for understanding the past habitability of Mars as well as the potential for any preservation of biosignature.


The drill is the other feature of the robotic arm that is key for accomplishing its mission. The drill located on the turret of the robotic arm penetrates into the Martian surface to collect and cache rock samples. According to the webpage "Perseverance Rover"(JPL, n.d.), when an object of interest is identified, an abrader or coring bit is selected and with a sample tube inserted inside it, the drill collects the sample by either using percussive mode (where force is applied with repeated blows) or rotary mode (where a drill bit is put under continuous pressure). While drilling, the sample is collected in the sample tube in the center of the drill bit.


Each feature of the robotic arm is irreplaceable and while the other features of the Perseverance do contribute to the mission's success, it is undoubtedly the robotic arm that is the biggest factor for the rover to be able to accomplish its mission.





References  

Brockie, I.(2021) Why and How Perseverance Abrades Rocks. NASA.

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/status/327/why-and-how-perseverance-abrades-rocks/


Jpl, (n.d.) Perseverance Rover https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press_kits/mars_2020/landing/mission/spacecraft/perseverance_rover/


Nasa, (n.d.) Mars 2020 Mission Overview https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/overview/


Nasa, (n.d.) Sherloc https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/instruments/sherloc/


Nasa, (n.d.) Watson https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/rover/cameras/#WATSON


Uckert, K., Bhartia, R. Beegle, L., Monacelli, B., Sanford, A., Burton, A., Bykov, S., Davis,  K., Fries, M., Jakubek, R., Hollis, J., Ropper, R., & Wu, Y. (2021) 

Calibration of the SHERLOC Deep Ultraviolet Fluorescence–Raman Spectrometer on the Perseverance Rover

 https://journals.sagepub.com.singaporetech.remotexs.co/doi/10.1177/00037028211013368


Xos, (n.d.) Mars 2020, Seeking evidence of Life with Micro-XRF Spectroscopy https://www.xos.com/mars-2020-seeking-evidence-of-life-with-micro-xrf-spectroscopy


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