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Addition DateSort Ascending Target Mission Instrument Size
Add Image to Favorite List 2015-12-17 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
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This graph shows the ratio of concentrations of several elements in four different pairs of targets examined by Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) instruments on NASA Mars rovers Curiosity and Spirit.
PIA20276:
Alteration Effects at Gale and Gusev Craters
Full Resolution:     TIFF (402.1 kB)     JPEG (187 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2015-12-17 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
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NASA's Curiosity Mars rover examined both the 'Greenhorn' and 'Big Sky' targets with the rover's Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument.
PIA20275:
'Big Sky' and 'Greenhorn' Elemental Comparison
Full Resolution:     TIFF (675.1 kB)     JPEG (193.7 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2015-12-17 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
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The yellow triangles on this graph indicate concentrations of the elements titanium and silicon in selected rock targets with high silica content analyzed by the APXS instrument on NASA's Curiosity rover in Mars' Gale Crater.
PIA20274:
Silicon and Titanium Correlation in Selected Rocks at Gale Crater, Mars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (384 kB)     JPEG (163.3 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2014-09-11 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
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Data from the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity show an unusual enrichment of silicon in the rocks dubbed 'Wildrose' and 'Bonanza King,' relative to other rocks studied at Gale Crater on Mars.
PIA18479:
Martian Rocks Rich in Silicon
Full Resolution:     TIFF (4.739 MB)     JPEG (134.6 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2013-03-18 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (MSL)
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This graphic presents results from APXS onboard NASA's rover Curiosity, with the comparisons simplified across diverse elements by dividing the amount of each element measured in the rocks by the amount of the same element in a local soil.
PIA16791:
Elemental Compositions of 'Yellowknife Bay' Rocks
Full Resolution:     TIFF (6.663 MB)     JPEG (161.1 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-12-03 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (MSL)
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This graph compares the elemental composition of typical soils at three landing regions on Mars: Gusev Crater, from Spirit; Meridiani Planum, from Opportunity; and now Gale Crater, where NASA's newest Curiosity rover is currently investigating.
PIA16572:
Inspecting Soils Across Mars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (5.762 MB)     JPEG (141.9 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-09-12 Mars Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (MSL)
Mastcam
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This image shows the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) on NASA's Curiosity rover, with the Martian landscape in the background. This image let researchers know that the APXS instrument had not become caked with dust during Curiosity's landing.
PIA16160:
Portrait of APXS on Mars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.177 MB)     JPEG (82.27 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2012-02-07 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
MAHLI
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Two instruments at the end of the robotic arm on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity will use calibration targets attached to a shoulder joint of the arm. The penny is a size reference giving the public a familiar object for perceiving size on Mars easily.
PIA15284:
Contact Instrument Calibration Targets on Mars Rover Curiosity
Full Resolution:     TIFF (36.16 MB)     JPEG (703 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-09-01 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
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This graphic presents information gained by examining part of the Martian rock called 'Tisdale 2' with the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer onboard NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. Found were elevated zinc and bromine in the rock.
PIA14747:
Elevated Zinc and Bromine in Rock on Endeavour Rim
Full Resolution:     TIFF (631 kB)     JPEG (64.27 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2011-02-18 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
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The sensor head on the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer instrument was installed during testing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The instrument is part of NASA's Curiosity rover.
PIA13874:
Sensor Head on the Mars-bound APXS Instrument
Full Resolution:     TIFF (36 MB)     JPEG (1.147 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2009-10-13 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
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Grad student Nicholas Boyd (left) and Principal Investigator Ralf Gellert, both of the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, prepare for the installation of the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer sensor head during testing at NASA's JPL.
PIA13875:
Preparing to Install APXS Sensor Head
Full Resolution:     TIFF (36 MB)     JPEG (1.122 MB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2005-01-03 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer
Panoramic Camera
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Spirit View of 'Wishstone' (False Color)
PIA07191:
Spirit View of 'Wishstone' (False Color)
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.477 MB)     JPEG (103.8 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-08-18 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
Panoramic Camera
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'Clovis' in Color
PIA06772:
'Clovis' in Color
Full Resolution:     TIFF (2.967 MB)     JPEG (126.1 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-07-16 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
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This plot shows that levels of the element chlorine rise dramatically in the deeper rocks lining the walls of the crater dubbed 'Endurance' on Mars. The data shown here were taken by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity.
PIA06683:
Chlorine Clues
Full Resolution:     TIFF (271.6 kB)     JPEG (30.27 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-06-08 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
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Spirit Sees Salty Soil
PIA06043:
Spirit Sees Salty Soil
Full Resolution:     TIFF (3.09 MB)     JPEG (813.4 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-04-14 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
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These two sets of bar graphs compare the elemental compositions of martian rocks 'Bounce,' located at Meridiani Planum; EETA79001-B, a martian meteorite found in Antarctica; a rock found at the Mars Pathfinder landing site; Shergotty, a martian meteorite.
PIA05752:
'Bounce' and Martian Meteorite of the Same Mold
Full Resolution:     TIFF (302.2 kB)     JPEG (52.31 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-04-01 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
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This graph shows the relative concentrations of bromine and chlorine at various locations on Earth and Mars. Typically, bromine and chlorine stick together in a fixed ratio, as in martian meteorites and Earth seawater.
PIA05676:
Bromine and Chlorine Go Separate Ways
Full Resolution:     TIFF (230.8 kB)     JPEG (39.8 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-04-01 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT)
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This graph shows the chemical composition of the rock at Gusev Crater dubbed 'Mazatzal' after it was brushed and ground by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's rock abrasion tool.
PIA05675:
What's on the Inside Counts
Full Resolution:     TIFF (142 kB)     JPEG (35.16 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-04-01 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT)
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This graph shows the chemical composition of the rock at Gusev Crater dubbed 'Mazatzal' after it was brushed and ground by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit's rock abrasion tool.
PIA05674:
Outer Appearances Can Be Deceiving
Full Resolution:     TIFF (137.9 kB)     JPEG (34.22 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-03-13 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
Microscopic Imager
Moessbauer Spectrometer
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This image from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows 'blueberries' discovered on Mars. They are spherules that are the abundant spherical hematite inclusions.
PIA05564:
Finding the 'Blueberry' Muffin Recipe
Full Resolution:     TIFF (3.818 MB)     JPEG (484.1 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-03-02 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT)
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This graph shows the relative abundances of sulfur (in the form of sulfur tri-oxide) and chlorine at three Meridiani Planum sites: soil measured in the small crater where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity landedin 2004.
PIA05483:
A Trail of Salts
Full Resolution:     TIFF (110.4 kB)     JPEG (29.02 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-03-02 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT)
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These plots, or spectra, show that a rock dubbed 'McKittrick' near NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site at Meridiani Planum, Mars, has higher concentrations of sulfur and bromine than a nearby patch of soil nicknamed 'Tarmac.'
PIA05469:
Salty Martian Rock
Full Resolution:     TIFF (597 kB)     JPEG (161.6 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-03-02 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT)
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These plots, or spectra, show that a rock dubbed 'McKittrick' near the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site at Meridiani Planum, Mars, possesses the highest concentration of sulfur yet observed on Mars.
PIA05468:
"McKittrick" Rich in Sulfur
Full Resolution:     TIFF (546.9 kB)     JPEG (137.5 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-03-02 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
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These plots, or spectra, show that a rock dubbed 'McKittrick' near NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's landing site at Meridiani Planum, Mars, has higher concentrations of sulfur and bromine than a nearby patch of soil nicknamed 'Tarmac.'
PIA05467:
History Leaves Salts Behind
Full Resolution:     TIFF (600.3 kB)     JPEG (143.3 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-02-19 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
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This screenshot from a computer-generated animation shows NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's arm exploring the trench dug by one of its wheels. The rover's arm is designed to examine rocks and soil for signs of past water on Mars.
PIA05322:
Grooving in Trenchtown (computer animation)
Full Resolution:     TIFF (1.137 MB)     JPEG (77.74 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-02-02 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
Panoramic Camera
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NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the rover's alpha particle X-ray spectrometer (circular device in center), located on its instrument deployment device, or 'arm.'
PIA05196:
X-ray Machine on Mars
Full Resolution:     TIFF (219.7 kB)     JPEG (28.59 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-01-20 Mars Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
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NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit the variety of elements present in the soil at the rover's landing site. Iron and silicon make up the majority of the martian soil. Sulfur and chlorine were also observed as expected.
PIA05114:
A Rainbow of Martian Elements
Full Resolution:     TIFF (199.9 kB)     JPEG (35.97 kB)
Add Image to Favorite List 2004-01-20 Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer
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Located on the arm of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer uses alpha particles and X-rays to determine the chemical make up of martian rocks and soils.
PIA05113:
Super Rover's X-Ray Vision
Full Resolution:     TIFF (6.843 MB)     JPEG (267.7 kB)
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