Deconvolving Terrestrial Alteration Mineral Spectral Signatures from Meteorite Reflectance Measurements

When a meteorite enters into the earth's atmosphere, it is immediately subjected to various chemical reactions between its minerals and the elements in our thick atmosphere. These reactions alter the mineralogy of the meteorites. Some examples of the altered minerals in some meteorites are summarized. If meteorites can be linked to their corresponding parent body asteroid in space, we can improve our understanding of the solar system. Spectroscopy has been used in determining the links between asteroids and meteorites. However, meteorite weathering in the Earth s atmosphere also has an effect on meteorite spectra, and altered spectra can easily confuse asteroid connections. The goal of this project is to study the mineral and spectral changes due to Earth's environment and to design a computer simulation to correct meteorite spectra for the effects of terrestrial weathering.