Questions tagged [instrument]
Questions about equipment used to gather information during space exploration.
61 questions
2votes
1answer
95views
What is this device on the ISS? [duplicate]
I was viewing footage from a live external camera on the ISS when I came across this rotating instrument : Image from "ISS Live Now" Application. I was unable to identify the object/...
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5votes
1answer
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Did the ISS CREAM experiment actually get relocated?
A recent update (May 22) to the database for the NASA visualization tool DOUG shows that the CREAM payload has been relocated to the top of the Japanese Experiment Logistics Module - Pressurized ...
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1answer
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Since pure Platinum is found in alluvial deposits on Earth, could it not be detected by Perseverance on or near the fan-delta deposit in Jezero?
Platinum is an extremely rare metal, occurring at a concentration of 0.005 ppm in Earth's crust, but in some alluvial deposits it is often found chemically uncombined as native platinum and as an ...
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1answer
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Will the Orion glass cockpit with CCD be tested with prospective astronauts on the ground during the upcoming Artemis 1 test flight ? If not, why?
Image credit: DesignNews article: "Exclusive: A Closer Look at NASA's Orion Glass Cockpit" Will there be video cameras onboard the Orion spacecraft that registrate the glass cockpit displays ...
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5votes
3answers
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What could be the cause of the extraordinary high Fe counts from the PIXL instrument onboard the Perseverance rover?
In this answer a table is showed with all the elements that were detected by the PIXL instrument on 2 occasions, namely sol 140 and sol 167. As could be expected, X-ray counts were high for Si (...
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3votes
2answers
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After one year exploring Jezero's crater floor, has there been any investigation into the presence of trace elements with PIXL?
PIXL instrument chart sample Credit:NASA/JPL-CALTECH Of course PIXL has been used already in Jezero crater, but as far as I know only to identify mineral compositions and textures, as described in ...
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1vote
0answers
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Sensor for charged particle density [closed]
How would I go about specifying a sensor that measures charged particles in Low Earth Orbit deployed at 1000 km? Are there designs for instruments already that do this, or would I have to actually ...
2votes
1answer
319views
Are direct conversion optical receivers being looked at for future deep-space communication?
In this answer to Receiver and transmitter in RF/optic satellite communication: distance vs data rate v2 I explain that since the currently used photodiode-based photodetectors for optical ...
- 153k
2votes
1answer
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What do/will "quantum gyroscopes using nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond" for space applications actually look like, and how do they work?
The NASA page ELaNa 41 Mission has a section labeled QubeSat - University of California, Berkeley which says: QubeSat is a technology demonstration mission. It will test and characterize the effects ...
- 153k
6votes
1answer
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4 megapixels seems rather low, why weren't James Webb's sensors updated to higher resolution/sensitivity?
Like the question says, JW sensors are stated to be 4 mp for near-IR (also 1 mp for mid-IR). I'm curious why this low a resolution was chosen. "Webb uses two different types of detectors: ...
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Does Perseverance have a SAM-like instrument? [duplicate]
Curiosity had an instrument called SAM onboard that did gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Do any of the instruments on Perseverance include these capabilities? If not, why were they deemed ...
- 5,128
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1answer
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COTS portable X-ray machines in crewed spaceflight; would they work without significant modification?
Are commercial, off-the shelf (COTS) portable X ray machines likely to work in manned spacecraft, or are there technical reasons why they would need to be significantly modified? Do you feel is it ...
2votes
0answers
236views
How many bubble levels have been used in space? Were any of them used some place besides the Moon?
The lunar retroreflectors left by Apollo astronauts had bubble levels and Sun compasses to that they could be oriented correctly with respect to Earth's average direction. This was necessary to ...
- 153k
6votes
2answers
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How did the Carbon Dioxide gauges work on Apollo?
The book Lost Moon by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger had this interesting description in Chapter 10 (page 254 in my copy) regarding the CO2 gauges (emphasis added): Carbon dioxide concentrations in ...
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0answers
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What kind of impact tests to large touch screen displays in crew capsules have to pass?
Some of the glass layers in commercial large format displays are between 0.25 and 0.7 mm thick. (e.g. 1, 2) If something comes loose in a capsule during a high acceleration period (launch, reentry) ...
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