Mars Science Laboratory

The Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme established by the Federal Government of Nigeria was aimed at exposing student of higher institution to acquire industrial skill and practical experience in their approved course of study and also to prepare students for the industrial work situation which they are likely to meet after graduation. This technical report is based on the experiences gained during my four months of Industrial Training at Orile Agege General Hospital, Lagos State.
This report highlights how patients are being managed and also the several test carried out for patients such as: Full Blood Count (FBC), Packed Cell Volume(PCV),White Blood Cell Count, Differential Count, Stool Examination, Microfilaria, Widal  (Typhoid test), Genotype, HIV, e.t.c. I was opportuned to work in five (5) sections which are Phlebotomy Section, Hematology/Immunohematology Section, Serology Section, Clinical Microbiology Section, and Chemical Pathology Section. These sections have exposed me to the precautions, rules and regulations of the laboratory, how to diagnose patients and how the tests are being analysed.
Most importantly, it describes the activities and my experience gained during the period of the training, it also stated the problems encountered and also gave suggestion for improvement of the scheme.

A novel design of a wind sensor for the surface of Mars is described. This sensor is to be included in the Rover Environment Monitoring Station (REMS) to be launched as a part of the Mars Science Laboratory in 2009. A 2D hot film anemometer composed of four hot points and a reference point has been conceived and implemented in the preliminary design model. It uses a closed thermal feedback loop based on thermal sigma–delta modulation. In this paper, the first results obtained in a Mars-like environment are shown, and indicate that sensitivities are expected to be in the range of 0.5 m/s and 10° in wind speed and direction.

The NASA Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, Curiosity, has safely landed near a 35-km-long dark dune field in Gale Crater on Mars. This dune field crosses the landing site from the northeast to the southwest and lies along Curiosity’s traverse to Aeolis Mons. Here we present the first evidence of recent aeolian activity in the form of ripple and dune migration, and further estimate wind directions within the dune field through analysis of ripple and dune morphologies and the Mars Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (MRAMS). We measured a minimum ripple migration rate of 0.66 m per Earth year, and dune migration rate of 0.4 m per Earth year, in the southwest portion of the field. A strongly bidirectional ripple crestline orientation, nearly orthogonal dune slipfaces, and linear seif or oblique dunes indicate a bidirectional wind regime with winds mainly coming from the ENE and from the northwest; however, MRAMS results indicate primary winds from the ENE. Our constraints on the wind regime provide the unique opportunity to use ground measurements from MSL to test the accuracy of winds predicted from orbital data.

A new approach to sample handling for powder X-ray diffraction analysis is presented that allows characterization of poorly prepared samples. The technique relies on vibrations generated in a sample holder to create movement of the powdered sample in the absence of macroscopic movement of the sample holder itself. The major benefits over conventional sample handling strategies are: 1) the ability

Accurate assessment of potentially damaging ground hazards during the spacecraft EDL (entry, descent, and landing) phase is crucial to insure a high probability of safe landing. A lander that encounters a large rock, falls off a cliff, or tips over on a steep slope can sustain mission-ending damage. Guided entry is expected to shrink landing ellipses from 100-300 km to ~10 km radius for the second-generation landers as early as 2009. Regardless of size and location, however, landing ellipses will almost always contain hazards such as craters, discontinuities, steep slopes, and large rocks. It is estimated that an MSL (Mars Science Laboratory)-sized lander should detect and avoid 16-150m diameter craters, vertical drops similar to the edges of 16m or 3.75m diameter crater, for high and low altitude HDA (Hazard Detection and Avoidance) respectively. It should also be able to detect slopes 20deg or steeper, and rocks 0.75m or taller. In this paper we will present a passive imaging based, multi-cue hazard detection and avoidance (HDA) system suitable for Martian and other lander missions. This is the first passively imaged HDA system that seamlessly integrates multiple algorithms - crater detection, slope estimation, rock detection and texture analysis, and multi-cues $crater morphology, rock distribution, to detect these hazards in real time

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL 1 ) mission to land a large rover on Mars is being planned for Launch in 2009. As currently conceived, the rover would use a Multi- mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) to generate about 110 W of electrical power for use in the rover and the science payload. Usage of an MMRTG allows for a

The primary objective of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, which will launch in 2011, is to characterize the habitability of a site on Mars through detailed analyses of the composition and geological context of surface materials. Within the framework of established mission goals, we have evaluated the value of a possible landing site in the Mawrth Vallis region of Mars that is targeted directly on some of the most geologically and astrobiologically enticing materials in the Solar System. The area around Mawrth Vallis contains a vast (>1 × 106 km2) deposit of phyllosilicate-rich, ancient, layered rocks. A thick (>150 m) stratigraphic section that exhibits spectral evidence for nontronite, montmorillonite, amorphous silica, kaolinite, saponite, other smectite clay minerals, ferrous mica, and sulfate minerals indicates a rich geological history that may have included multiple aqueous environments. Because phyllosilicates are strong indicators of ancient aqueous activity, and the preservation potential of biosignatures within sedimentary clay deposits is high, martian phyllosilicate deposits are desirable astrobiological targets. The proposed MSL landing site at Mawrth Vallis is located directly on the largest and most phyllosilicate-rich deposit on Mars and is therefore an excellent place to explore for evidence of life or habitability.

The Photonics Group at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in the Electrical Engineering Division of the Advanced Engineering and Technologies Directorate has been involved in the design, development, characterization, qualification, manufacturing, integration and anomaly analysis of optical fiber subsystems for over a decade. The group supports a variety of instrumentation across NASA and outside entities that build flight systems. Among the projects currently supported are: The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Mars Science Laboratory, the James Webb Space Telescope, the Express Logistics Carrier for the International Space Station and the NASA Electronic Parts . and Packaging Program. A collection of the most pertinent infonnation gathered during project support over the past year in regards to space flight performance of optical fiber components is presented here. The objective is to provid~ guidance for future space flight designs of instrumentation and communication systems.

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) will use the Skycrane architecture to execute final descent and landing maneuvers. The Skycrane phase uses closed-loop feedback control throughout the entire phase, starting with rover separation, through mobility deploy, and through touchdown, ending only when the bridles have completely slacked. The integrated ADAMS simulation described in this paper couples complex dynamical models created by the mechanical subsystem with actual GNC flight software algorithms that have been compiled and linked into ADAMS. These integrated simulations provide the project with the best means to verify key Skycrane requirements which have a tightly coupled GNC-Mechanical aspect to them. It also provides the best opportunity to validate the design of the algorithm that determines when to cut the bridles. The results of the simulations show the excellent performance of the Skycrane system.