Exomars Raman Laser Spectrometer - Instrument health & hibernation

The ExoMars rover mission incorporates a drill and an Analytical Laboratory Drawer (ALD) to determine the composition of the Martian surface and shallow sub-surface. The analytical instrument package was selected according to the mission's primary scientific objectives, and includes a Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS). This instrument is designed to analyse samples of sub-surface material collected by the drill on the ExoMars rover, and can be used to determine the molecular composition of minerals and organic compounds. The spectroscopy instrument will also be capable of detecting the signatures of both extinct and extant life (by, for example, determining the presence of organic materials in the surface and shallow sub-surface) and assessing the habitability of the rover's environment. As part of the development of the RLS instrument, the UK consortium were responsible for the delivery of the spectrometer's CCD based camera system (including drive electronics and data processor). Following the launch delay of the ExoMars mission, the UK team will:

• perform instrument health checks whilst the RLS is in storage,
• contribute to the close-out of calibration/characterisation activities,
• generate review documentation regarding lessons learned during development of the instrument and its various subsystems,
• generate documentation following reviews of data obtained from the instrument during field trip and terrestrial analogue studies,
• focus on completing journal publications,
• complete project documentation associated with operations planning activities, and
• complete project documentation associated with instrument/science team activities.