mars science experiments

1

Light on MARS Project

Sensors record in situ bioluminescence to study the presence of organisms at night or in the dark ocean without disturbing them.

3

Deep-Sea Environmental Sample Processor

Deep-Sea Environmental Sample Processor – MBARI’s robotic biology lab already filters microbes from surface water and identifies them on its own. To study deep-sea life, this new ESP must be able to do its careful lab work in 90 times the pressure we feel on land.

4

CTD Sensors

CTD Sensors – Temperature, conductivity and pressure data from SENSORS CTD deployed on MARS.

5

Free Ocean CO2 Enrichment system (FOCE)

The FOCE experiment is designed to study the effects of increased carbon dioxide concentrations in seawater on marine animals. This experiment is of vital importance, since seawater is becoming more acidic as more and more human-generated carbon dioxide dissolves from the atmosphere into the world’s oceans.

eye in the sea
6

Eye in the Sea

Eye in the Sea – This low-light camera sits quietly and looks for shy creatures by the eerie glow of their bioluminescence – a feature shared by 90 percent of deep-sea life. So far, we’ve studied the deep using loud subs with bright lights. Eye in the Sea uses a stealthier approach.

8

Benthic Rover

The Benthic Rover autonomously transits the seafloor taking measurements of sediment community oxygen consumption, which the lab uses to calculate organic carbon demand.