SHERLOC

SHERLOC
Name	SHERLOC
Operator	NASA
Spacecraft	Perseverance (rover)
Launched	2020
Mission	Mars 2020
Type	Raman and fluorescence spectrometer

SHERLOC is a standoff Raman and fluorescence spectrometer and microscopic imager mounted on the Perseverance (rover) for the Mars 2020 mission. It was developed to characterize the mineralogy and organic chemistry of Martian rocks and soils using ultraviolet laser spectroscopy and microscopic imaging. SHERLOC works in concert with other instruments on Perseverance (rover) and with orbital assets to inform sample collection for the Mars Sample Return campaign and to contribute to studies linked to Curiosity (rover), Viking program, and earlier Mars exploration efforts.

Overview

SHERLOC operates as part of a payload that includes SuperCam, PIXL, and Mastcam-Z, integrating nondestructive analysis with context from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. The instrument applies techniques related to terrestrial systems like Raman spectroscopy facilities at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, and analog studies at Johnson Space Center and Smithsonian Institution collections. Its findings tie into planetary protection policies from COSPAR and scientific priorities set by the Decadal Survey and agencies such as European Space Agency, Roscosmos, ISRO, and JAXA.

Design and Components

SHERLOC comprises a vacuum ultraviolet laser, a microlens and turret assembly, a context imager, and electronics derived from engineering at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Malin Space Science Systems, and university partners including Arizona State University, Smithsonian Institution collaborations, and teams at Caltech. Key mechanical and optical components were tested in facilities affiliated with Ames Research Center, Langley Research Center, and industrial partners in Silicon Valley and Boston. The spectrometer subsystem employs detectors and gratings whose heritage traces to instruments used on Cassini–Huygens, Voyager program, and New Horizons. The calibration and contamination-control strategies reference standards from National Institute of Standards and Technology and lab workflows at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Scientific Objectives and Capabilities

SHERLOC’s objectives include detecting organic compounds, characterizing mineralogy, and providing fine-scale imaging to identify biosignatures relevant to astrobiology priorities articulated by NASA Science Mission Directorate and committees like the Astrobiology Program and participants from SETI Institute. It uses deep ultraviolet Raman and fluorescence to detect aromatic and non-aromatic organics, complementing mass spectrometry experiments such as those planned by Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer concepts and informed by results from Sample Analysis at Mars on Curiosity (rover). The instrument’s micrometer-scale imaging capabilities were developed with inputs from Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and laboratory work at Carnegie Institution for Science. SHERLOC’s sensitivity and spatial resolution support cross-disciplinary comparisons with data from MAVEN, InSight, and returned collections anticipated by NASA Ames and European Southern Observatory archives.

Operations and Deployment

SHERLOC is mounted on the turret of Perseverance (rover) and is operated via command sequences coordinated through Mission Control Center teams at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with uplink/downlink supported by the Deep Space Network and international tracking partners such as ESA Deep Space Antenna stations. Field-like operational protocols were rehearsed using terrestrial analog sites including Atacama Desert, McMurdo Station, and the Mojave Desert and in labs at University of Arizona and Brown University. Daily planning integrates science priorities from teams across Caltech, MIT, Cornell University, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Cambridge, and mission stakeholders in Washington, D.C. and Paris. SHERLOC’s observation cycles include remote laser rasters, microscopic imaging, and calibration sequences coordinated with SuperCam laser shots and PIXL analyses to maximize contextual datasets for sample caching.

Results and Discoveries

SHERLOC has contributed to identifying organics associated with silica-rich deposits and vein minerals, complementing lithologic interpretations from Mastcam-Z and isotopic constraints from Curiosity (rover) studies. Its high-resolution imaging has revealed grain textures analogous to terrestrial analogs studied at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and US Geological Survey laboratories. Data have been compared with spectroscopic libraries maintained by Smithsonian Institution, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and university consortia at Brown University, University of Arizona, Purdue University, and University of Oxford. Findings inform models of ancient habitable environments discussed in forums like American Geophysical Union meetings and publications in journals such as those from American Association for the Advancement of Science and Nature Publishing Group.

Development and Collaboration

SHERLOC was developed through a consortium led by teams at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and collaborating institutions including Caltech, Malin Space Science Systems, Arizona State University, Smithsonian Institution, and researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Washington, Harvard University, and Yale University. Funding and programmatic oversight involved NASA Science Mission Directorate, contributions from international partners such as European Space Agency scientists, and coordination with sample-return planning by stakeholders including NASA Johnson Space Center and European Space Agency representatives. The instrument’s development benefited from technical exchanges with teams experienced on Mars Exploration Rover missions, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter instrument teams, and heritage projects like Mars Pathfinder and Phoenix (spacecraft), with results disseminated through conferences at Lunar and Planetary Institute and publications in venues associated with Geological Society of America and American Chemical Society.

Category:Instruments on Perseverance (rover)