Characterization and first results of the planetary borehole-wall imager — methods to develop for in-situ exploration

Prototypes of borehole-wall imager instruments were developed and tested at a desert riverbed in Morocco and at a lake’s salty flat in the Atacama desert, to support the drilling activity of ExoMars rover. The onsite recorded borehole images contain information on the context that are lost during th...

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Main Authors: Kereszturi Ákos, Duvet Ludovic, Gróf Gyula, Gyenis Ákos, Gyenis Tamás, Kapui Zsuzsanna, Kovács Bálint, Maros Gyula
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2019-03-01
Series:Open Astronomy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/astro-2019-0001
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author Kereszturi Ákos
Duvet Ludovic
Gróf Gyula
Gyenis Ákos
Gyenis Tamás
Kapui Zsuzsanna
Kovács Bálint
Maros Gyula
author_facet Kereszturi Ákos
Duvet Ludovic
Gróf Gyula
Gyenis Ákos
Gyenis Tamás
Kapui Zsuzsanna
Kovács Bálint
Maros Gyula
author_sort Kereszturi Ákos
collection DOAJ
description Prototypes of borehole-wall imager instruments were developed and tested at a desert riverbed in Morocco and at a lake’s salty flat in the Atacama desert, to support the drilling activity of ExoMars rover. The onsite recorded borehole images contain information on the context that are lost during the sample acquisition. Benefits of the borehole-wall imaging is the easier maximal energy estimation of a fluvial flow, the detailed information on sedimentation and layering, especially the former existence of liquid water and its temporal changes, including paleo-flow direction estimation from grain imbrication direction. Benefits of laboratory analysis of the acquired samples are the better identification of mineral types, determination of the level of maturity of granular sediment, and identification of the smallest, wet weathered grains. Based on the lessons learned during the comparison of field and laboratory results, we demonstrate that recording the borehole-wall with optical instrument during/after drilling on Mars supports the paleo-environment reconstruction with such data that would otherwise be lost during the sample acquisition. Because of the lack of plate tectonism and the low geothermal gradient on Mars, even Ga old sediments provide observable features that are especially important for targeting Mars sample return and later crewed Mars missions.
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spelling doaj.art-44d227f86efd4bc984f963ab542574cc2022-12-21T21:49:13ZengDe GruyterOpen Astronomy2543-63762019-03-01281133110.1515/astro-2019-0001astro-2019-0001Characterization and first results of the planetary borehole-wall imager — methods to develop for in-situ explorationKereszturi Ákos0Duvet Ludovic1Gróf Gyula2Gyenis Ákos3Gyenis Tamás4Kapui Zsuzsanna5Kovács Bálint6Maros Gyula7Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, HungaryBudapestEuropean Space Agency, ESTEC, The NetherlandsParisBudapest University of Technology and Economics, HungaryBudapestKolorprint LP. HungaryBudapestBudapest University of Technology and Economics, HungaryBudapestResearch Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, HungaryBudapestEuropean Space Agency, ESTEC, The NetherlandsParisMining and Geological Survey of HungaryBudapestPrototypes of borehole-wall imager instruments were developed and tested at a desert riverbed in Morocco and at a lake’s salty flat in the Atacama desert, to support the drilling activity of ExoMars rover. The onsite recorded borehole images contain information on the context that are lost during the sample acquisition. Benefits of the borehole-wall imaging is the easier maximal energy estimation of a fluvial flow, the detailed information on sedimentation and layering, especially the former existence of liquid water and its temporal changes, including paleo-flow direction estimation from grain imbrication direction. Benefits of laboratory analysis of the acquired samples are the better identification of mineral types, determination of the level of maturity of granular sediment, and identification of the smallest, wet weathered grains. Based on the lessons learned during the comparison of field and laboratory results, we demonstrate that recording the borehole-wall with optical instrument during/after drilling on Mars supports the paleo-environment reconstruction with such data that would otherwise be lost during the sample acquisition. Because of the lack of plate tectonism and the low geothermal gradient on Mars, even Ga old sediments provide observable features that are especially important for targeting Mars sample return and later crewed Mars missions.https://doi.org/10.1515/astro-2019-0001marsdrillingsample analysis
spellingShingle Kereszturi Ákos
Duvet Ludovic
Gróf Gyula
Gyenis Ákos
Gyenis Tamás
Kapui Zsuzsanna
Kovács Bálint
Maros Gyula
Characterization and first results of the planetary borehole-wall imager — methods to develop for in-situ exploration
Open Astronomy
mars
drilling
sample analysis
title Characterization and first results of the planetary borehole-wall imager — methods to develop for in-situ exploration
title_full Characterization and first results of the planetary borehole-wall imager — methods to develop for in-situ exploration
title_fullStr Characterization and first results of the planetary borehole-wall imager — methods to develop for in-situ exploration
title_full_unstemmed Characterization and first results of the planetary borehole-wall imager — methods to develop for in-situ exploration
title_short Characterization and first results of the planetary borehole-wall imager — methods to develop for in-situ exploration
title_sort characterization and first results of the planetary borehole wall imager methods to develop for in situ exploration
topic mars
drilling
sample analysis
url https://doi.org/10.1515/astro-2019-0001
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AT grofgyula characterizationandfirstresultsoftheplanetaryboreholewallimagermethodstodevelopforinsituexploration
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