The Miniaturized Mössbauer Spectrometer MIMOS II for Extraterrestrial and Outdoor Terrestrial Applications: A Status Report

Abstract

In May and July 2003 both the European space agency ESA and the American space agency NASA will launch space missions to Mars. The ESA lander Beagle 2 and the two NASAMars-Exploration-Rovers (MER) will explore the Martian surface with a set of sophisticated instruments. Part of the payload will be our miniaturized Mössbauer spectrometer MIMOS II. It operates in backscattering geometry and meets the requirements for space application of low mass (⩽500 g), small volume (coke can size), and low power consumption (⩽3 W). Main goals are the determination of the oxidation state of iron and the iron mineralogy on the surface. This information will contribute to a much deeper understanding of the evolution of the planet Mars, its surface and atmosphere, and the history of water. The MIMOS II flight units for MER were delivered in April 2002 to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL), California, for integration to the Rovers. After some more testing of the complete Rover system the spacecraft will be shipped to the Kennedy Space Center early February 2003. The first launch will be in May 2003 and the second launch in late June on early July 2003. The flight unit for the ESA Mars-Express Beagle lander was delivered to ESA by the end of May 2002 for integration to the lander in late November/early December 2002. The launch is scheduled for June 2003 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The instrument MIMOS II is also under consideration for an ESA space mission to Mercury in 2009, and it is part of the ESA exobiology multi-user facility to be launched as part of one of the next lander Mars missions after 2005.