The Use of Handheld X-Ray Fluorescence Technology in Planetary Surface Exploration - Robotics Institute Carnegie Mellon University

The Use of Handheld X-Ray Fluorescence Technology in Planetary Surface Exploration

Kelsey Young, Kip Hodges, Cindy Evans, Maria Bualat, Matthew Deans, Terrence W. Fong, Essam Heggy, Mark Helper, and Jose Hurtado
Conference Paper, Proceedings of Geologic Society of America Annual Meeting, October, 2010

Abstract

Advanced planetary field geology, which will include the coordination of human and robotic missions of scientific exploration, will be greatly enhanced by the use of “smart tools” to provide heightened sensory awareness of the landscape. We can imagine an array of portable, multi-use tools that can be employed by astronaut explorers and their robotic counterparts to elucidate subtle distinctions among geologic map units or to “high-grade” samples for return to Earth laboratories. One smart tool that may be extremely useful for such purposes is a small, portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer.

BibTeX

@conference{Young-2010-10552,
author = {Kelsey Young and Kip Hodges and Cindy Evans and Maria Bualat and Matthew Deans and Terrence W. Fong and Essam Heggy and Mark Helper and Jose Hurtado},
title = {The Use of Handheld X-Ray Fluorescence Technology in Planetary Surface Exploration},
booktitle = {Proceedings of Geologic Society of America Annual Meeting},
year = {2010},
month = {October},
}