MAY LYN T.

FABROA BSED- IV
1. What was the role of Analytical Chemistry in the Pathfinder
Spacecraft and Sojourner Rovers mission on July 4, 1997?

Introduction:
On July 4, 1997, Americans got more than a fireworks show, with NASA's first
successful trip back to the surface of Mars since the Viking missions of the
1970s. The Mars Pathfinder mission and its gutsy rover, Sojourner, fascinated
the world as they performed nearly flawlessly on our neighboring planet.

The lander, formally named the Carl Sagan Memorial Station following its
successful touchdown, and the rover, named after American civil rights
crusader Sojourner Truth, both outlived their design lives - the lander by
nearly three times, and the rover by 12 times.

From landing until the final data transmission on September 27, 1997, Mars
Pathfinder returned more than 16,500 images from the lander and 550
images from the rover, as well as chemical analyses of rocks and soil and
extensive data on winds and other weather factors. Resulting scientific
findings suggested that Mars was at one time in its past warm and wet, with
water existing in its liquid state and a thicker atmosphere.

Role of Analytical Chemistry in Pathfinder

Spacecraft in Mars
Mars Pathfinder used an innovative method of directly entering the Martian
atmosphere, assisted by a parachute to slow its descent through the thin
Martian atmosphere and a giant system of airbags to cushion the impact.
The landing site, an ancient flood plain in Mars northern hemisphere known
as Ares Vallis, is among the rockiest parts of Mars. It was chosen because
scientists believed it to be a relatively safe surface to land on and one which
contained a wide variety of rocks deposited during a catastrophic flood.

PICTURE OF PATHFINDER SPACECRAFT IN MARS

 Role of Analytical Chemistry in Sojourner Rovers
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PICTURE OF SOJOURNER ROVERS

2. How Analytical Chemistry Applied in Physics (Microwave

Spectroscopy)
Analytical Chemistry addresses the microwave region of the electromagnetic
spectrum and the absorption of energy by molecules as they undergo
transitions between rotational energy levels. From these spectra, it is
possible to obtain information about molecular structure, including bond
distances and bond angles. One example of the application of this technique
is in the distinction of Trans and gauche rotational isomers. It is also
concerned with the observation and analysis of transitions between
molecular rotational energy levels. These transitions fall within the segment
of the electromagnetic spectrum called the microwave region. Whereas the
infrared region is associated with the phenomena of molecular vibrations, the
microwave region is associated with molecular rotations. Usually implies gas-
phase molecular rotational spectroscopy, though other areas of
spectroscopy, such as EPR, operate in the microwave region been applied.

Traditional analytical techniques have been successfully employed on a

great variety of systems for identifying stable reaction products as well as for
purity analysis and reaction efficiency. However, most analytical techniques
generally can only be applied to "well-behaved" chemical systems. Since gas
phase reaction products do not always follow the "well-behaved" guideline,
an alternate analytical tool, such as microwave spectroscopy, could prove
beneficial for analyzing such systems and may well provide some new routes
to synthetic chemistry. A general review of the present state-of-the-art for
applications of microwave techniques to analytical studies will be presented.
An attempt will be made to describe the limitations and advantages of
microwave spectroscopy for probing chemical systems for product
identification and for optimization of the efficiency of gas phase chemical
reactions.