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A fragment of the NWA 2975 Martian meteorite, an enriched basaltic shergottite, was analysed to complete its geochemical characterisation performed 10 years ago. By this means, the feasibility of the employed techniques in a combined way for present and future space exploration missions can be tested. For this aim, Raman spectroscopy was used supported by micro energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (μ‐EDXRF) and laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for an accurate interpretation of molecular and elemental results. Raman spectroscopy results from two setups, InVia from Renishaw and RLS Simulator, were compared. The major minerals detected by Raman spectroscopy were pyroxenes (mainly augite, pigeonite and enstatite) and plagioclases (mainly shocked maskelynite). Raman spectroscopy allowed defining different metal compositions for these main minerals based on the secondary Raman spectroscopy bands in the 200–500 cm−1 region. In addition, other minerals were found such as merrillite, as well as pyrrhotite and apatite, in several veins and cracks of the meteorite, in agreement with the initial report by the Meteoritical Bulletin. Moreover, it should be highlighted that coesite was found for the very first time in this meteorite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Europa lander is a concept for a potential future planetary exploration mission which purpose is to characterize the icy shell of Europa and to search for organics. To achieve this objective, the current concept of the lander includes a Raman spectrometer, such as RLS instrument, that could be able to analyze (sub) surface targets in their solid and liquid form. Knowing that ice and brines of Europa are potentially enriched by sulfate and chlorides, this work seeks to evaluate if Raman spectroscopy could be used to semi quantify the saline content of water solutions using space‐like instrumentation. To do so, MgSO4 and MgCl2 were used to prepare three sets of water solutions. Raman analyses were then performed by the laboratory simulator of the ExoMars Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS), which has been defined as the threshold system for the Europa Lander. After data analysis, two different semi‐quantification approaches were tested, and their results compared. Although univariate calibration curves proved to successfully quantify the content of SO42− and Cl− anions dissolved in mono‐analyte water solutions, this strategy provided very poor results when applied to binary saline mixtures. Overcoming this issue, the non‐linearity prediction ability of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) in combination with bandfitting allows to successfully resolve the complexity of the vibrational perturbation suffered by the OH region, which is caused by the cross interaction of H2O molecules with different anions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SuperCam and SHERLOC instruments onboard the NASA/Perseverance rover are returning the first Raman spectra to be ever collected from another planet. Similarly, the RLS instrument onboard the ESA/Rosalind Franklin rover will collect Raman spectra from powdered rocks sampled from the subsurface of Mars. To optimize the scientific exploitation of Raman spectra returned from planetary exploration missions, tailored chemometric tools are being developed that take into account the analytical capability of the mentioned Raman spectrometers. In this framework, the ERICA research group is using laboratory simulators of SuperCam and RLS to perform representative laboratory studies that will enhance the scientific outcome of both Mars2020 and ExoMars missions. On one hand, preliminary studies proved the chemometric analysis of RLS datasets could be used to obtain a reliable semi‐quantitative estimation of the main mineral phases composing Martian geological samples. On the other hand, it was proved the data fusion of Raman and LIBS spectra gathered by SuperCam could be used to enhance the discrimination of mineral phases from remote geological targets. Besides describing the models developed by the ERICA group, this work presents an overview of the complementary chemometric approaches so far tested in this field of study and propose further improvements to be addressed in the future. SuperCam and Sherloc are the first Raman instruments to be ever operated in another planet. Looking ahead, additional planetary missions will deploy Raman spectrometers on Mars (ExoMars/RLS) and Phobos (MMX/RAX). To optimize the scientific return of this analytical instrument, dedicated chemometric tools need to be developed for data treatment and interpretation. Here, an overview of the effort the SuperCam and RLS team are doing in optimizing the exploitation of the Raman spectra from Mars is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) is one of three key analytical instruments incorporated within the body of the ExoMars 2022 rover. The rover will collect samples from different sites on the Oxia Planum plain, using a drill capable of penetrating the near subsurface and rocky outcrops to a depth of 2 m. Samples are passed to the Analytical Laboratory Drawer (ALD) in the heart of the rover vehicle, where the Sample Preparation and Distribution System (SPDS) processes and transports the crushed material into a refillable container (RC), which is then presented to the analytical instruments for exobiology and geological investigation. The final sample grain distribution of the powder sample following the crushing and flattening processes is a critical aspect of the RLS instrument that has a direct impact on its overall performance, related to its mineral identification and operational capabilities. This paper provides a comparative overview of the performance of a set of Raman instruments, the RLS micro‐Raman Laboratory Equipment, the RLS ExoMars Simulator, and the RLS Engineering and Qualification Model (EQM) using Martian representative crushed samples, along with an evaluation of instrument performance as a function of the operational scenario. The results from the work performed by the RLS team confirm the capability of the RLS instrument performances, by acquiring good‐quality spectra from crushed samples provided by the SPDS, whose science return can be further optimized when improving the RLS instrument operation sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Raman laser spectrometer (RLS) instrument onboard the Rosalind Franklin rover of the ExoMars 2022 mission will analyze powdered samples on Mars to search for traces of life. To prepare for the mission, the RLS scientific team has developed the RLS ExoMars Simulator (RLS Sim), a flexible model of RLS that operates similarly to the actual instrument, both in laboratory and field conditions, while also emulating the rover operational constraints in terms of sample distribution that are relevant to the Raman analysis. This system can operate autonomously to perform RLS‐representative analysis in one or several samples, making it very useful to perform heavy experimental tasks that would otherwise be impossible using a flight‐representative model of the instrument. In this work, we introduce the current configuration of the RLS Sim that has incorporated new hardware elements such as the RAman Demonstrator 1 (RAD1) spectrometer with the objective of approaching its performance to that of the actual RLS instrument. To evaluate the scientific capability of the RLS Sim, we have compared it with a replica model of RLS, the RLS Flight Spare (FS). Several acquisition aspects have been evaluated based on the analysis of select samples, assessing the performance in terms of spectral range and resolution and also studying several issues related to the evolution of signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) with different acquisition parameters, especially the number of accumulations. This performance analysis has shown that the RLS Sim in its updated configuration will be a key model to perform support science for the ExoMars mission and the RLS instrument on the Rosalind Franklin rover. Designed to work intensively, the use of the RLS Sim in combination with the RLS FS will facilitate maximizing the scientific return of the RLS spectrometer during Martian operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mars2020/Perseverance and ExoMars/Rosalind Franklin rovers are both slated to return the first Raman spectra ever collected from another planetary surface, Mars. In order to optimize the rovers scientific outcome, the scientific community needs to be provided with tailored tools for data treatment and interpretation. Responding to this need, the purpose of the Analytical Database of Martian Minerals (ADaMM) project is to build an extended multianalytical database of mineral phases that have been detected on Mars or are expected to be found at the landing sites where the two rovers will operate. Besides the use of conventional spectrometers, the main objective of the ADaMM database is to provide access to data collected by means of laboratory prototypes simulating the analytical performances of the spectroscopic systems onboard the Mars 2020 and ExoMars rovers. Planned to be released to the public in 2022, ADaMM will also provide access to data treatment and visualization tools developed in the framework of the mentioned space exploration missions. As such, the present work seeks to provide an overview of the ADaMM online platform, spectral tools, and mineral collection. In addition to that, the manuscript describes the Raman spectrometers used to analyze the mineral collection and presents a representative example of the analytical performance ensured by the Raman prototypes assembled to simulate the Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) and SuperCam systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multianalytical study of terrestrial analogues is a useful strategy to deepen the knowledge about the geological and environmental evolution of Mars and other extraterrestrial bodies. In spite of the increasing importance that laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIR), and Raman techniques are acquiring in the field of space exploration, there is a lack Web‐based platform providing free access to a wide multispectral database of terrestrial analogue materials. The Planetary Terrestrial Analogues Library (PTAL) project aims at responding to this critical need by developing and providing free Web accessibility to LIBS, NIR, and Raman data from more than 94 terrestrial analogues selected according to their congruence with Martian geological contexts. In this framework, the present manuscript provides the scientific community with a complete overview of the over 4,500 Raman spectra collected to feed the PTAL database. Raman data, obtained through the complementary use of laboratory and spacecraft‐simulator systems, confirmed the effectiveness of this spectroscopic technique for the detection of major and minor mineralogical phases of the samples, the latter being of critical importance for the recognition of geological processes that could have occurred on Mars and other planets. In light of the forthcoming missions to Mars, the results obtained through the Raman Laser Spectrometer (RLS) ExoMars Simulator offer a valuable insight on the scientific outcome that could derive from the RLS spectrometer that will soon land on Mars as part of the ExoMars rover payload. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Before Perseverance, Jezero crater's floor was variably hypothesized to have a lacustrine, lava, volcanic airfall, or aeolian origin. SuperCam observations in the first 286 Mars days on Mars revealed a volcanic and intrusive terrain with compositional and density stratification. The dominant lithology along the traverse is basaltic, with plagioclase enrichment in stratigraphically higher locations. Stratigraphically lower, layered rocks are richer in normative pyroxene. The lowest observed unit has the highest inferred density and is olivine-rich with coarse (1.5 millimeters) euhedral, relatively unweathered grains, suggesting a cumulate origin. This is the first martian cumulate and shows similarities to martian meteorites, which also express olivine disequilibrium. Alteration materials including carbonates, sulfates, perchlorates, hydrated silicates, and iron oxides are pervasive but low in abundance, suggesting relatively brief lacustrine conditions. Orbital observations link the Jezero floor lithology to the broader Nili-Syrtis region, suggesting that density-driven compositional stratification is a regional characteristic.