The MOx instrument was developed to characterize the reactive nature of the martian soil. The objectives of MOx were: (1) to measure the rate of degradation of organics in the martian environment; (2) to determine if the reactions seen by the Viking biology experiments were caused by a soil oxidant and measure the reactivity of the soil and atmosphere: (3) to monitor the degradation, when exposed to the martian environment, of materials of potential use in future missions; and, finally, (4) to develop technologies and approaches that can be part of future soil analysis instrumentation. The basic approach taken in the MOx instrument was to place a variety of materials composed as thin films in contact with the soil and monitor the physical and chemical changes that result. The optical reflectance of the thin films was the primary sensing-mode. Thin films of organic materials, metals, and semiconductors were prepared. Laboratory simulations demonstrated the response of thin films to active oxidants.

中文翻译：

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火星 '96 的火星氧化剂实验 (MOx)

MOx 仪器的开发是为了表征火星土壤的反应性质。MOx 的目标是： (1) 测量火星环境中有机物的降解速度；(2) 确定 Viking 生物学实验中观察到的反应是否由土壤氧化剂引起并测量土壤和大气的反应性： (3) 监测暴露于火星环境时可能使用的材料的降解在未来的任务中；最后，(4) 开发可以成为未来土壤分析仪器一部分的技术和方法。MOx 仪器采用的基本方法是将各种由薄膜构成的材料与土壤接触，并监测由此产生的物理和化学变化。薄膜的光学反射率是主要的传感模式。制备了有机材料、金属和半导体的薄膜。实验室模拟证明了薄膜对活性氧化剂的反应。