The Scientists Behind the
Science on Mars
Meet the spectroscopists working on the NASA
rover missions to Mars.
MARS MISSION 2020
MARS & PERSEVERANCE
MARS emanates a sense of adventure and promise, capturing the imagination and interest of scientists and explorers from all over the world. Although no human has ever set foot on this red planet, it has been a destination successfully reached by human-engineered spacecrafts and rovers. The latest rover by NASA is the SUV-sized Perseverance, which touched down on Mar’s Jezero Crater on February 18th, 2021. Its mission: analyze rocks and soil on Mars and collect samples that will one day be brought back to Earth. It is equipped with upgraded cameras and sophisticated instrumentation including several spectrometers:
Here, we bring to you the stories of some of the scientists involved with the spectrometers on the Perseverance mission.

APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY
LEARN HOW SPECTROSCOPY
IS WORKING ON MARS
ABOUT THIS WEBSITE
SOCIETY FOR APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY
The Society for Applied Spectroscopy knows that the science on Mars is more than just groundbreaking instruments, it’s the scientists behind those instruments. We’re fulfilling our mission to advance spectroscopy by bringing you in-depth stories humanizing the spectroscopists with instruments on Mars.
SPECTROSCOPY BY THE NUMBERS
4
SPECTROSCOPY CORE TEAMS
2
LASERS
405
PERSEVERANCE TEAM MEMBERS
7
SPECTROMETERS & SCIENTIFIC CAMERAS
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Connect with other spectroscopists, discover the latest advances in spectroscopy, develop your career and share your own skills and challenges.
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