Alluxa, Inc., a global leader in high-performance optical coating and thin film filtration and deposition technologies, developed special optical filters deployed aboard the Perseverance Rover, which landed safely on Mars on February 18, 2021. Notuxa-specific filters are augmented for high performance over a wide range of angles to provide in-band light to the Environmental Scanning Environments by Raman & Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC).
Alluxa filters help detect and identify non-contact of organs and minerals on the surface of Mar. Developed in collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California, it features the SHERLOC instrument, part of the Sustainability payload, the Deep UV Replacement Raman (DUV) and a fluorescence spectrum that scans for life who left Mars and who will help identify rock samples for possible return to Earth.
SHERLOC operates at the end of an artificial rover arm, using two unique detection methods that include two types of UV light spectroscope, as well as a flexible camera. According to Luther Beegle, lead scientist and researcher at NASA’s Jet Deposition Laboratory, “It can detect an important class of carbon molecules with extreme sensitivity, and also identifies minerals that provide information about ancient fertile environments . ”
Mike Scobey, Chief Executive of Alluxa, says, “All of us at Alluxa are delighted to be working hand in hand with JPL to develop unique filters with very high throughput, which will help modern discovery of Mars through the SHERLOC Perseverance Rover Image. We are proud to be part of this historic mission. ”
CAPAL PHOTO: This photo shows NASA’s Sustainability rover working on the surface of Mars. Persecution landed at Jezero Crater at Red Planet on February 18, 2021. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech