 DAN instrument on theCuriosity rover | |
| Operator | NASA |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Russian Space Research Institute (IKI) |
| Instrument type | neutron spectrometer |
| Function | hydrogen and H2O detector |
| Mission duration | Primary: 668sols (687 days) Current: 4725sols (4854 days) since landing |
| Began operations | August 6, 2012 |
| Website | msl-scicorner |
| Host spacecraft | |
| Spacecraft | Curiosity rover |
| Operator | NASA |
| Launch date | November 26, 2011, 15:02:00 (2011-11-26UTC15:02Z) UTC |
| Launch site | Cape CanaveralLC-41 |
| COSPAR ID | 2011-070A |
TheDynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) instrument is an experiment mounted on theMars Science Laboratory'sCuriosity rover. It is a pulsed sealed-tubeneutron source and detector used to measurehydrogen orice andwater at or near theMartian surface.[1][2] The instrument consists of the detector element (DE) and a 14.1 MeV pulsing neutron generator (PNG). The die-away time of neutrons is measured by the DE after each neutron pulse from the PNG.DAN was provided by theRussian Federal Space Agency,[1][2] funded byRussia[3] and is under the leadership of Principal Investigator Igor Mitrofanov.[4]
On August 18, 2012 (sol 12), DAN was turned on,[5] marking the success of a Russian-American collaboration on the surface of Mars and the first working Russian science instrument on the Martian surface sinceMars 3 stopped transmitting over forty years ago.[6] The instrument is designed to detect subsurface water.[5]
On March 18, 2013 (sol 218), NASA reported evidence ofmineral hydration, likely hydratedcalcium sulfate, in severalrock samples including the broken fragments of"Tintina" rock and"Sutton Inlier" rock as well as inveins andnodules in other rocks like"Knorr" rock and"Wernicke" rock.[7][8] Analysis using the rover's DAN instrument provided evidence of subsurface water, amounting to as much as 4% water content, down to a depth of 60 cm (2.0 ft), in the rover's traverse from theBradbury Landing site to theYellowknife Bay area in theGlenelg terrain.[7]
On August 19, 2015, NASA scientists reported that the DAN instrument onCuriosity detected an unusual hydrogen-rich area, at "Marias Pass," on Mars. The hydrogen found seemed related to water orhydroxyl ions in rocks within 3 feet (0.91 m) beneath the rover, according to the scientists.[9]
Media related toDynamic Albedo of Neutrons at Wikimedia Commons| General |  | |
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