Mars Missions and Science

The European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin rover will search for signs of life on Mars, using a NASA-built instrument called MOMA. Complete transcript available.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Music provided by Killer Tracks: "Fast Motion" by Stephen Daniel Lemaire, "Game Show Spheres 5-6" by Anselm Kreuzer, "Floating" by Ben Niblett & Jon Cotton || ExoMarsPreview.jpg (1920x1080) [175.9 KB] || ExoMarsPreview_searchweb.png (320x180) [80.6 KB] || ExoMarsPreview_thm.png (80x40) [6.3 KB] || 12962_MOMA_Profile_Master_APR.mov (1920x1080) [7.2 GB] || 12962_MOMA_Profile_Master_youtube_hq.mov (1920x1080) [856.3 MB] || YOUTUBE_1080_12962_MOMA_Profile_Master_APR_youtube_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [510.9 MB] || 12962_MOMA_Profile_Master.webm (960x540) [125.9 MB] || FACEBOOK_720_12962_MOMA_Profile_Master_APR_facebook_720.mp4 (1280x720) [377.8 MB] || TWITTER_720_12962_MOMA_Profile_Master_APR_twitter_720.mp4 (1280x720) [69.5 MB] || 12962_MOMA_Profile_Master_APR_Output.en_US.srt [6.0 KB] || 12962_MOMA_Profile_Master_APR_Output.en_US.vtt [6.0 KB] ||

MOMA uses ultraviolet laser pulses to release and ionize organic compounds captured within crushed Martian surface and near-surface materials. Because each laser pulse lasts less than two billionths of a second, this process effectively ionizes more heat-resistant materials than those accessed by traditional oven-heating (pyrolysis) methods. Pulsed laser processing preserves weak molecular bonds, and enables the identification of organic compounds even in the presence of highly reactive perchlorates commonly found in Martian surface materials. || MOMAposterFull.jpg (1920x1080) [130.9 KB] || MOMAposterFull_print.jpg (1024x576) [73.3 KB] || MOMAposterFull_searchweb.png (320x180) [36.8 KB] || MOMAposterFull_web.png (320x180) [36.8 KB] || MOMAposterFull_thm.png (80x40) [3.7 KB] || MOMA-LDMS.mov (1920x1080) [2.1 GB] || ldms (1920x1080) [256.0 KB] || MOMA-LDMS_h264.mp4 (1920x1080) [91.5 MB] || MOMA-LDMS_1080p60.mp4 (1920x1080) [24.4 MB] || MOMA-LDMS_1080p60.webm (1920x1080) [8.3 MB] ||

The Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer, or MOMA, is a miniaturized, highly sophisticated organic chemistry laboratory headed to the red planet aboard ESA's Rosalind Franklin rover (formerly ExoMars). The MOMA mass spectrometer subsystem and main electronics were built and tested at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. This editor's resource page contains video footage and images of MOMA in broadcast resolution. ||