The Russian DAN instrument aboard NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars has set a global benchmark for planetary science, according to a senior researcher from the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Igor Mitrofanov, head of the nuclear planetology department at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, stated that Russia operates at a world level in nuclear planetology. Speaking to Russian news outlet KP.RU, he praised the performance of the instrument, known formally as the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons, for setting the global standard across the discipline.
The sensor package serves as a neutron scanner on the rover as it travels across the sands of the Red Planet. By probing the ground directly beneath the vehicle, the device allows researchers to inspect chemical signatures hidden beneath the Martian surface.
The instrument uses active neutron sensing methods to analyze the top layer of Martian soil. The system is specifically engineered to search for hydrogen containing compounds and chlorine in the regolith. Finding hydrogen is critical for planetary scientists because it often points to underground water ice or hydrated minerals.
Mars exploration technology
Curiosity is an American planetary rover developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory that landed on Mars to study the planet's environment, geology and past habitability. The Space Research Institute, commonly known as IKI RAN, is Russia's primary scientific center for robotic space exploration and satellite research.
Active neutron probing works by bombarding the planetary surface with high energy neutrons. When these particles interact with atoms in the soil, particularly light elements such as hydrogen, they bounce back at reduced speeds. The detector measures the returning flux to determine the exact elemental breakdown of the subsurface.
Russian space suit research
The evaluation of the Mars rover instrument follows other recent developments in Russian space technology. Earlier in September, researchers at Novosibirsk State Technical University carried out engineering calculations for prospective astronaut suits intended for missions to the Moon and Mars.
The university scientists performed their calculations using parameters from the Chibis suit, an established piece of hardware currently used aboard the International Space Station. The Chibis vacuum suit applies negative pressure to an astronaut's lower body, assisting blood circulation during long spaceflights in microgravity.
