Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons

The die-away time of neutrons is measured by the DE after each neutron pulse from the PNG. DAN was provided by the Russian Federal Space Agency, funded by Russia and is under the leadership of Principal Investigator Igor Mitrofanov.

• Name — Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) • Operator — NASA • Manufacturer — Russian Space Research Institute (IKI) • Type — neutron spectrometer • Function — hydrogen and H 2 O detector • Mission Duration — Primary: 668 sols (687 days) Current: sols (6 August 2012 05:17:57 days) since landing • Began — August 6, 2012 • Webpage — https: msl-scicorner.jpl.nasa.gov/Instruments/DAN/ • Spacecraft — Curiosity rover • Sc Operator — NASA • Launch — November 26, 2011, 15:02:00 UTC • Launch Site — Cape Canaveral LC-41 • Cospar — 2011-070A

On August 18, 2012 (sol), DAN was turned on, marking the success of a Russian-American collaboration on the surface of Mars and the first working Russian science instrument on the Martian surface since Mars 3 stopped transmitting over forty years ago. The instrument is designed to detect subsurface water. On March 18, 2013 (sol), NASA reported evidence of mineral hydration, likely hydrated calcium sulfate, in several rock samples including the broken fragments of "Tintina" rock and "Sutton Inlier" rock as well as in veins and nodules in other rocks like "Knorr" rock and "Wernicke" rock. Analysis using the rover's DAN instrument provided evidence of subsurface water, amounting to as much as 4% water content, down to a depth of 60 cm, in the rover's traverse from the Bradbury Landing site to the Yellowknife Bay area in the Glenelg terrain. • Illustration — 2 million pulses fired (January 29, 2014). On August 19, 2015, NASA scientists reported that the DAN instrument on Curiosity detected an unusual hydrogen-rich area, at "Marias Pass," on Mars. The hydrogen found seemed related to water or hydroxyl ions in rocks within 3 feet beneath the rover, according to the scientists. • Illustration — Hydrogen-rich area detected at 'Marias Pass" on Mars by Curiosity.