Table 2.
Traceability matrix for Project GAUSS
| Scientific goal | Measurement objective | Instrument |
|---|---|---|
| The origin and transportation of water and other volatiles in the inner Solar System: Where does Ceres come from? | ||
| Ceres chronology | Crater counting, radiometric dating of samples | Sample analysis, camera, topographic camera |
| Connection between Ceres composition and pre-solar materials | Stable isotopes of oxygen, chromium, titanium | Sampling mechanism, microscopic camera |
| Volatile inventory on Ceres | Surface and subsurface water, other volatile species including Na, K, S, Cl, etc. | Sampling mechanism, Near-Infrared spectrometer (NIR), Thermal Infrared spectrometer (TIR), Active Particle-induced X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS) |
| Contamination from exogenous materials on Ceres and their roles in the evolution of Ceres | Surface mineralogy, petrological units in samples | Sampling mechanism, camera, NIR, TIR, microscopic camera |
| Physical properties and internal structure of Ceres: What do ice dwarf planets look like? | ||
| Structure of the near-subsurface and deep interior, and the implications to the differentiation and aqueous alteration processes of Ceres | Surface mineralogy, elemental abundance, gravity | Imaging, NIR, TIR, seismology, radar, subsurface science package |
| Geological processes, in particular current and past cryovolcanism | Topography and morphology, gravity | Imaging, lidar, radar, radio science, seismometer |
| The existence and characteristics of Ceres’ exosphere | Gas species around Ceres | Gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS), Ion and mass spectrometer, UV spectrometer, dust detector |
| The astrobiological implications of Ceres: Was it habitable in the past and is it still today? | ||
| Existence of liquid water inside Ceres, its extent, distribution, and depth | Topography, morphology, gravity | Camera, radar, lidar, topographic camera, radio science, seismometer, subsurface science package |
| Redox condition on Ceres, the existence and forms of oxidants | Elemental abundance, forms, and isotopic ratios of O, S, Cl, N | Sampling mechanism, NIR, TIR, APXS, GRS |
| Abundance, sources and sinks, and chemical forms of life-forming elements; source of terrestrial water | Elemental abundance, forms, and isotopic ratios of C, H, N, O, S | Sampling mechanism, NIR, TIR, APXS, GRS |
| Inventory and composition of organic compounds, their origins and evolutions | Existence, abundance, and types of organic materials | Sample mechanism, NIR, TIR |
| Mineralogical connection between Ceres and the collections of primitive meteorites: Where are Ceres meteorites? | ||
| Thermal metamorphism and aqueous alteration history of Ceres | Mineralogy, petrological characterization, isotope ratios | Sampling mechanism, NIR, TIR |
| Fractionation of elements and the geochemical processes | Mineralogy, elemental abundance, isotope ratios | Sampling mechanism, NIR, TIR |