France developed a laser device to analyze the surface of Mars

French scientists and engineers have developed a powerful but energy-efficient laser emitting device for analyzing the Martian surface during the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL09) mission.

The French Center for Space Research (CNES) funded the project, saying the latest version of the device will be launched on ' red planet ' in October 2009.

The laser device will be placed on top of a survey robot weighing 750kg - with a car - moving by a nuclear reactor. It can fire rock pieces on Mars 9m away into dust by emitting nuclear energy up to 1gigawatt / cm ² .

Gas generated by temperatures as high as 10,000 ^° C will be analyzed remotely by an American spectrometer. The entire laser device and spectrometer will create the ChemCam tool, one of 10 robot equipment.

The goal of the MSLO9 mission is to determine whether or not Mars has life on the surface, with the presence of water on the surface. In this framework, ChemCam will provide valuable data on the chemical chalk of the rock on Mars.

VN