The Engineering Model of the ChemCam Mars Science Laboratory rover instrument arrived at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on February 6, where the team was met by JPL laser safety officials. Bob Dingler of Space Data Systems (ISR-3) and Bruce Barraclough of Space Science and Applications (ISR-1) went out to support and assist in the initial testing, which went well, reports principal investigator Roger Wiens of ISR-1. The engineering model is being integrated into the rover test bed for the development and testing of the rover software. The actual flight model components are concurrently being assembled at Los Alamos and in Toulouse, France, and will be delivered to JPL in July. The Mars Science Laboratory is scheduled to launch in 2009. ChemCam will use imaging and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to determine rock and soil compositions up to 9 meters from the rover. More information and pictures are available here.
