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The Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument (DAN) onboard the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) uses 3He proportional counters to detect neutrons escaping the martian surface. This neutron leakage flux can be used to estimate the amount of hydrogen in the shallow martian regolith. During sols 753 through 1292 of the MSL mission, the rover traversed from Pahrump Hills to the Naukluft Plateau and acquired slightly less than 2000 h of neutron count rate data covering ~3 km of traverse and 125 waypoints along that traverse. Here we present an analysis of these data, including new procedures to leverage the oversampling of the instrument within its own spatial footprint, water equivalent hydrogen (WEH) estimates, and DAN passive geochemical index (DPGI) values. The average water equivalent hydrogen estimate for this region of the traverse is 1.6 wt% with a standard deviation of 1.1 wt%. These results show that Curiosity transitioned into a relatively lower WEH-content region as it left the plains of Gale crater and began ascending the hills at the base of Mt. Sharp. We also show that the WEH populations of the geologic units investigated during this time (Murray and Stimson Formations) are statistically different both from each other and the previously studied Aeolis Palus sediments (Smooth Hummocky, Bedded Fractured, Eolian, Rugged, and Striated Light-toned). Additionally, DAN passive WEH estimates agree with measurements from other MSL instruments in this region and are consistent with decreasing phyllosilicate abundance with increasing elevation.

The primary objective of the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) experiment on board the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity is to assess the hydrogen content as the rover traverses the Martian surface. Because hydrogen is a light element, it is an efficient moderator for neutrons. The method used to estimate the hydrogen content by the DAN instrument is to measure the thermal neutron count rate emitted from the surface of the soil using a Pulsed Neutron Generator as an activation source coupled with a thermal neutron detector. However, boron has a high cross section for thermal neutron capture and can affect the thermal neutron flux measured by the DAN instrument. Recently, the MSL ChemCam instrument has shown high concentrations of B in the veins of the Murray formation and Yellowknife Bay at concentrations of 100 to 500 ppm. We show that the number of neutrons that are captured in the Martian soil increases with increasing B, resulting in reduced count rates observed by the DAN thermal neutron detector, which can lead to an overestimate of the hydrogen content.

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover is exploring the Murray formation, a sequence of heterolithic mudstones and sandstones recording fluvial deltaic and lake deposits that comprise over 350 m of sedimentary strata within Gale crater. We examine >4,500 Murray formation bedrock points, employing recent laboratory calibrations for ChemCam laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy H measurements at millimeter scale. Bedrock in the Murray formation has an interquartile range of 2.3–3.1 wt.% H2O, similar to measurements using the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons and Sample Analysis at Mars instruments. However, specific stratigraphic intervals include high H targets (6–18 wt.% H2O) correlated with Si, Mg, Ca, Mn, or Fe, indicating units with opal, hydrated Mg sulfates, hydrated Ca sulfates, Mn‐enriched units, and akageneite or other iron oxyhydroxides, respectively. One stratigraphic interval with higher hydrogen is the Sutton Island unit and Blunts Point unit contact, where higher hydrogen is associated with Fe‐rich, Ca‐rich, and Mg‐rich points. A second interval with higher hydrogen occurs in the Vera Rubin ridge portion of the Murray formation, where higher hydrogen is associated with Fe‐rich, Ca‐rich, and Si‐rich points. We also observe trends in the H signal with grain size, separate from chemical variation, whereby coarser‐grained rocks have higher hydrogen. Variability in the hydrogen content of rocks points to a history of water‐rock interaction at Gale crater that included changes in lake water chemistry during Murray formation deposition and multiple subsequent groundwater episodes., Key Points Murray formation bedrock points measured by ChemCam have an interquartile range of 2.3–3.1 wt.% H2OSpecific intervals like the Vera Rubin ridge contain high H and indicate phases including iron oxyhydroxides, akageneite, and jarositeVariations in water content indicate changes in depositional lake water chemistry and multiple subsequent groundwater episodes

The Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument aboard the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, has been used to map a stratigraphically conformable layer of high-SiO (Formula presented.) material in Gale crater. Previous work has shown that this material contains tridymite, a high-temperature/low-pressure felsic mineral, interpreted to have a volcanic source rock. We describe several characteristics including orientation, extent, hydration, and geochemistry, consistent with a volcaniclastic material conformably deposited within a lacustrine mudstone succession. Relationships with widely dispersed alteration features and orbital detections of hydrated SiO (Formula presented.) suggest that this high-SiO (Formula presented.) layer extends at least 17 km laterally. Mineralogical abundances previously reported for this high-SiO (Formula presented.) material indicated that hydrous species were restricted to the amorphous (non-crystalline) fraction, which is dominated by SiO (Formula presented.). The low mean bulk hydration of this high-SiO (Formula presented.) layer (1.85 (Formula presented.) 0.13 wt.% water-equivalent hydrogen) is consistent with silicic glass in addition to opal-A and opal-CT. Persistent volcanic glass and tridymite in addition to opal in an ancient sedimentary unit indicates that the conversion to more ordered forms of crystalline SiO (Formula presented.) has not proceeded to completion and that this material has had only limited exposure to water since it originally erupted, despite having been transported in a fluviolacustrine system. Our results, including the conformable nature, large areal extent, and presence of volcanic glass, indicate that this high-SiO (Formula presented.) material is derived from the product of evolved magma on Mars. This is the first identification of a silicic volcaniclastic layer on another planet and has important implications for magma evolution mechanisms on single-plate planets.

The Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity rover) Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) experiment detects neutrons for the purpose of searching for hydrogen in the shallow subsurface of Mars. DAN has two modes of operation, active and passive. In passive mode, the instrument detects neutrons produced by Galactic Cosmic Ray interactions in the atmosphere and regolith and by the rover's Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator. DAN passive data from Yellowknife Bay to Amargosa Valley (sols 201 through 753) are presented and analyzed here. Water equivalent hydrogen (WEH) estimates from this portion of Curiosity's traverse range from 0.0 wt. % up to 15.3 wt. %. Typical uncertainties on these WEH estimates are ∼0.5 wt. % but in some cases can be as high as ∼4.0 wt. % depending on the specific circumstances of a given measurement. Here we also present a new way of reporting results from the passive mode of the experiment, the DAN passive geochemical index (DPGI). This index is sensitive to some key geochemical variations, but it does not require assumptions about the abundances of high thermal neutron absorption cross section elements, which are needed to estimate WEH. DPGI variations in this section of the traverse indicate that the shallow regolith composition is changing on both the local (∼meters) and regional (∼100 s of meters) scales. This variability is thought to be representative of the diverse composition of source regions for sediments within the crater floor. Kolmogorov-Smirnov Tests on the populations of WEH estimates and DPGI values demonstrate there are statistically significant differences between nearly all of the geologic units investigated along the rover's traverse. We also present updated previous DAN passive results from Bradbury Landing to John Klein that make use of revised DAN active mode results for calibration, however, no qualitative changes in the interpretations made in Tate et al. (2015b) are incurred.

The results of the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument ground tests in the passive mode of operation are presented in comparison with the numerical calculations. These test series were conducted to support the current surface measurements of DAN onboard the MSL Curiosity rover. The instrument sensitivity to detect thin subsurface layers of water ice buried at different depths in the analog of Martian soil has been evaluated during these tests. The experiments have been done with a radioisotope Pu-Be neutron source (analog of the MMRTG neutron source onboard the Curiosity rover) and the Martian soil model assembled from silicon-rich window glass pane. Water ice layers were simulated with polyethylene sheets. All experiments have been performed at the test facility built at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna, Russia).

In this work the results of ground tests with active neutron spectrometer DAN (Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons) are presented, which have performed at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research to simulate space experiments on martian or lunar surfaces and to test ability of active neutron methods to detect layers of subsurface water ice or water at depths in range 0–40 cm. For this experiment we assembled thick models of soil (20–30 metric tons) from a dry material similar in the elemental composition with martian and lunar regolith. Polyethylene buried inside the target at different depths was used as a simulant of thin water/water ice layer.

High Energy Neutron Detector (HEND) onboard the orbital Mars Odyssey mission and Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) onboard the Curiosity rover are measuring neutron albedo of Mars produced by Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR). The numerical simulations of HEND/Odyssey and DAN/MSL and comparison between model predictions and experimental data has been implemented to unfold Mars neutron spectra both on orbit and surface and evaluate biological impact contributed by neutrons. It was found that the maximum neuron equivalent dose rate by neutrons below 10 ​MeV could be as high as 45 ​± ​7 ​μSv per day, which is about 6–7% of the expected charged-particle dose equivalent rate.

We report the water abundance of Bagnold Dune sand in Gale crater, Mars by analyzing active neutron experiments using the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons instrument. We report a bulk water‐equivalent‐hydrogen abundance of 0.68 ± 0.15 wt%, which is similar to measurements several kilometers away and from those taken of the dune surface. Thus, the dune is likely dehydrated throughout. Furthermore, we use geochemical constraints, including bulk water content, to develop compositional models of the amorphous fraction for which little information is known. We find the amorphous fraction contains ∼26‐ to 64‐wt% basaltic glass and up to ∼24‐wt% rhyolitic glass, suggesting at least one volcanic source for the dune material. We also find a range of hydrated phases may be present in appreciable abundances, either from the incorporation of eroded aqueously altered sediments or the direct alteration of the dune sand.

The Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) experiment on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover Curiosity is designed to detect neutrons to determine hydrogen abundance within the subsurface of Mars (Mitrofanov, I.G. et al. [2012]. Space Sci. Rev. 170, 559–582. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11214-012-9924-y ; Litvak, M.L. et al. [2008]. Astrobiology 8, 605–613. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/ast.2007.0157 ). While DAN has a pulsed neutron generator for active measurements, in passive mode it only measures the leakage spectrum of neutrons produced by the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) and Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR). DAN passive measurements provide better spatial coverage than the active measurements because they can be acquired while the rover is moving. Here we compare DAN passive-mode data to models of the instrument’s response to compositional differences in a homogeneous regolith in order to estimate the water equivalent hydrogen (WEH) content along the first 200 sols of Curiosity’s traverse in Gale Crater, Mars. WEH content is shown to vary greatly along the traverse. These estimates range from 0.5 ± 0.1 wt.% to 3.9 ± 0.2 wt.% for fixed locations (usually overnight stops) investigated by the rover and 0.6 ± 0.2 wt.% to 7.6 ± 1.3 wt.% for areas that the rover has traversed while continuously acquiring DAN passive data between fixed locations. Estimates of WEH abundances at fixed locations based on passive mode data are in broad agreement with those estimated at the same locations using active mode data. Localized (meter-scale) anomalies in estimated WEH values from traverse measurements have no particular surface expression observable in co-located images. However at a much larger scale, the hummocky plains and bedded fractured units are shown to be distinct compositional units based on the hydrogen content derived from DAN passive measurements. DAN passive WEH estimates are also shown to be consistent with geologic models inferred from other MSL instruments, which indicate that fluvial/lacustrine activity occurred at certain locations ( e.g. , Yellowknife Bay).

Searching for water in the soil of Gale Crater is one of the primary tasks for the NASA Mars Science Laboratory rover named Curiosity. The primary task of the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) experiment on board the rover is to investigate and qualitatively characterize the presence of water along the rover’s traverse across Gale Crater. The water depth distribution may be found from measurements of neutrons generated by the Pulsing Neutron Generator (PNG) included in the DAN instrument, scattered by the regolith and returned back to the detectors. This paper provides a description of the data processing of such measurements and data products of DAN investigation.

Environmental sensing instruments include the Rover Environmental Monitoring Suite (REMS), a package of several meteorological instruments, and the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD), which measures the radiation dose at the surface. Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) straddles the boundary between remote and environmental sensing; in passive mode it detects ambient neutrons, and it can also bombard the surface with neutrons to explore for subsurface water and light elements.

The presence of hydrated phases in the soil and near-surface bedrock of Gale Crater is thought to be direct evidence for water-rock interaction in the crater in the ancient past. Layered sediments over the Gale Crater floor are thought to have formed in past epochs due to sediment transport, accumulation, and cementation through interaction with fluids, and the observed strata of water-bearing minerals record the history of these episodes. The first data analysis of the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) investigation on board the Curiosity rover is presented for 154 individual points of active mode measurements along 1900 m of the traverse over the first 361 Martian solar days in Gale crater. It is found that a model of constant water content within subsurface should be rejected for practically all tested points, whereas a two-layer model with different water contents in each layer is supported by the data. A so-called direct two-layer model (water content increasing with depth) yields acceptable fits for odometry ranges between 0 and 455 m and beyond 638 m. The mean water (H2O) abundances of the top and bottom layers vary from 1.5 to 1.7 wt % and from 2.2 to 3.3 wt %, respectively, while at some tested spots the water content is estimated to be as high as ~5 wt %. The data for odometry range 455–638 m support an inverse two-layer model (water content decreasing with depth), with an estimated mean water abundance of 2.1 ± 0.1 wt % and 1.4 ± 0.04 wt % in the top and bottom layers, respectively.

[1] The Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument on board Mars Science Laboratory has been operating successfully since the landing and has been making measurements regularly along Curiosity's traverse at the surface. DAN measures thermal (E

The description of Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) experiment is presented, as a part of the NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission onboard the mars rover Curiosity. The instrument DAN includes Pulsing Neutron Generator (PNG) producing pulses of 14.1 MeV neutrons for irradiation of subsurface material below the rover, and Detectors and Electronics (DE) unit, which operates the instrument itself and measures the die-away time profiles of epithermal and thermal neutrons following each neutron pulse. It is shown that the DAN investigation will measure a content of hydrogen along the path of the MSL rover, and it will also provide information about a depth distribution of hydrogen at 10–20 regions selected for the detailed studies and sampling analysis.

The Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) experiment, part of the scientific payload of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover mission, will have the ability to assess both the abundance and the burial depth of subsurface hydrogen as the rover traverses the Martian surface. DAN will employ a method of measuring neutron fluxes called “neutron die-away” that has not been used in previous planetary exploration missions. This method requires the use of a pulsed neutron generator that supplements neutrons produced via spallation in the subsurface by the cosmic ray background. It is well established in neutron remote sensing that low-energy (thermal) neutrons are sensitive not only to hydrogen content, but also to the macroscopic absorption cross-section of near-surface materials. To better understand the results that will be forthcoming from DAN, we model the effects of varying abundances of high absorption cross-section elements that are likely to be found on the Martian surface (Cl, Fe) on neutron die-away measurements made from a rover platform. Previously, the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) Spirit and Opportunity found that elevated abundances of these two elements are commonly associated with locales that have experienced some form of aqueous activity in the past, even though hydrogen-rich materials are not necessarily still present. By modeling a suite of H and Cl compositions, we demonstrate that (for abundance ranges reasonable for Mars) both the elements will significantly affect DAN thermal neutron count rates. Additionally, we show that the timing of thermal neutron arrivals at the detector can be used together with the thermal neutron count rates to independently determine the abundances of hydrogen and high neutron absorption cross-section elements (the most important being Cl). Epithermal neutron die-away curves may also be used to separate these two components. We model neutron scattering in actual Martian compositions that were determined by the MER Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS), as examples of local geochemical anomalies that DAN would be sensitive to if they were present at the MSL landing site. These MER targets, named “Eileen Dean,” “Jack Russell,” and “Kenosha Comets,” all have unusually high or low Cl or Fe abundances as a result of geochemical interactions involving water. Using these examples we demonstrate that DAN can be used not only to assess the amount of present-day hydrogen in the near-surface but also to identify locations that may preserve a geochemical record of past aqueous processes.

The Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument, a neutron scattering instrument currently being constructed by IKI, is a component of the science payload of the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. Based on simulations using the Monte-Carlo N-Particle Extended (MCNPX) particle physics code, DAN is able to measure bulk water content and to detect variations in water concentration up to ∼50 cm beneath the ground surface, assuming perfect detector performance. Data from DAN, combined with measurements from other instruments on MSL, allow derivation of profiles of water content to a depth of ∼15 cm.

We present a summary of the physical principles and design of the Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument onboard NASA's 2009 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. The DAN instrument will use the method of neutron-neutron activation analysis in a space application to study the abundance and depth distribution of water in the martian subsurface along the path of the MSL rover. Astrobiology 8, 605–612.

Suspicion that Mars could have transient liquid water on its surface through deliquescence of salts to form aqueous solutions or brines is an old proposal whose inquiry was boosted by Phoenix Lander observations. It provided some images of what were claimed to be brines, the presence of which at its landing site was compatible with the atmospheric parameters and the composition of the soil observed. On the other hand, the so called Recurrent Slope Lineae (RSL) often imaged by orbiters, were considered as another clue pointing to the occurrence of the phenomenon, since it was thought that they might be caused by it. Now, Curiosity rover has performed the first in-situ multi-instrumental study on Mars’ surface, having collected the most comprehensive environmental data set ever taken by means of their instruments Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS), Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN), and Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM). REMS is providing continuous and accurate measurements of the relative humidity and surface and air temperatures among other parameters, and DAN and SAM provide the water content of the regolith and the atmosphere respectively. Analysis of these data has allowed to establish the existence of a present day active water cycle between the atmosphere and the regolith, that changes according to daily and seasonal cycles, and that is mediated by the presence of brines during certain periods of each and every day. Importantly, the study shows that the conditions for the occurrence of deliquescence are favourable even at equatorial latitudes where, at first, it was thought they were not due to the temperature and relative humidity conditions. This study provides new keys for the understanding of martian environment, and opens interesting lines of research and studies for future missions which may even have a bearing on extant microbial life. Godkänd; 2015; 20150702 (javmar)

Data gathered with the Dynamic Albedo of Neutron (DAN) instrument onboard rover Curiosity were analyzed for variations in subsurface neutron flux and tested for possible correlation with local geological context. A special DAN observation campaign was executed, in which 18 adjacent DAN active measurements were acquired every 0.75-1.0 m to search for the variations of subsurface hydrogen content along a 15 m traverse across geologic contacts between the Sheepbed and Gillespie Lake members of the Yellowknife Bay formation. It was found that several subunits in Sheepbed and Gillespie Lake could be characterized with different depth distributions of water-equivalent hydrogen (WEH) and different chlorine-equivalent abundance responsible for the distribution of neutron absorption elements. The variations of the average WEH at the top 60 cm of the subsurface are estimated at up to 2-3%. Chlorine-equivalent neutron absorption abundances ranged within 0.8-1.5%. The largest difference in WEH and chlorine-equivalent neutron absorption distribution is found between Sheepbed and Gillespie Lake. Key Points DAN special campaign in Yellowknife Bay DAN local measurements of water and chlorine abundance Correlation of DAN measurements and geological context ©2014. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.