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The Miniaturized Moessbauer Spectrometer MIMOS II of the Athena Payload for the 2003 MER MissionsA first-order requirement of spacecraft missions that land on Mars is instrumentation for in situ mineralogical analysis. Moessbauer Spectroscopy is a powerful tool for quantitative analysis of Fe-bearing materials. The Athena Moessbauer spectrometer MIMOS II on the martian surface will provide: (1) identification of iron-bearing phases (e.g., oxides, silicates, sulfides, sulfates, and carbonates), (2) quantitative measurement of the distribution of iron among its oxidation states (e.g., Fe(2+)/Fe(3+) ratio), and (3) quantitative measurement of the distribution of iron among iron-bearing phases (e.g., the relative proportions of iron in olivine, pyroxene, and magnetite in a basalt) in rocks and soils. Moessbauer data will also be highly complementary with chemical analyses from the APXS and the Mini-TES compositional data. Mars is a particularly good place to do Moessbauer mineralogy because its surface is iron rich (approx. 20% Fe as Fe2O3). Moessbauer spectrometers that are built with backscatter measurement geometry require no sample preparation, a factor important for in situ planetary measurements.
Document ID
20030066643
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
G Klingelhoefer
(Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany)
R V Morris
(Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas, United States)
P A de Souza Jr.
(Companhia Vale do Rio Doce)
B Bernhardt
(Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz Mainz, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
July 25, 2003
Publication Information
Publication: Sixth International Conference on Mars
Publisher: LPI
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Photography
Report/Patent Number
3132
Meeting Information
Meeting: Sixth International Conference on Mars
Location: Pasadena, CA
Country: US
Start Date: July 20, 2003
End Date: July 25, 2003
Sponsors: Lunar and Planetary Institute
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NCC5-679
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Portions of document may include copyright protected material.
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