SUPERCAM: A YEAR ON MARS

Jérémie Lasue– IRAP

In February 2021, the NASA Perseverance Rover landed on the surface of Mars. Its goal is to explore the delta deposit located on the bottom of the Jezero crater and to select a suite of samples of astrobiological interest to be brought back to Earth. The analysis of these samples in the laboratory will help determine if life ever existed on the surface of Mars. To help select the best samples, a laser instrument built in Toulouse is integrated at the top of the rover’s mast: SuperCam (IRAP-CNES-LANL and partners). It can analyze the composition of the rocks at a distance, can provide mineralogical data with Raman and infrared spectroscopy, high resolution context color images, and is even equipped with a microphone. For the last year, it has been measuring the composition and mineralogy of rocks surrounding the rover. We will describe the principle of the instrument, its landing on Mars and the results obtained so far.