Mars Science Laboratory instruments

ChemCam: Laser-induced Remote Sensing for Chemistry and Micro-Imaging Principal Investigator: Roger Wiens, Los Alamos National Laboratory   ChemCam will use a laser beam to remove dust from rock surfaces which will allow remote sensing by the MSL rover from a distance. The ChemCam suite combines laser-induced breakdown spectography (LIBS) with a remote micro-imager. The laser will send powerful pulses towards a rock and then analyse the light emitted. ChemCam will be able to detect all the elements in the target and allow rapid identification of the minerals and rocks under investigation.        LIBS Planetary Science Applications Website, Los Alamos National Laboratoy

ChemCam in the news:  "Success For Thales Space Laser Headed To Mars", Marsdaily, Feb. 2007 "LANL sampler picked for Mars rover mission", lamoniter.com, Nov. 2005  "Flying a Science Lab to Mars", from Astrobiology Magazine , April, 2005 "Los Alamos wizardry to aid new Mars science laboratory", Phys.org, Dec. 2004 "France to ride on Mars Science Laboratory", CNES, Dec. 2004