Rayons X et Matière

J. Phys. IV France 08 (1998) Pr5-465-Pr5-470
DOI: 10.1051/jp4:1998559

A miniature XRD/XRF instrument for in-situ characterization of Martian soils and rocks

P. Sarrazin^{1, 2}, D. Blake¹, D. Bish³, D. Vaniman³ and S. Collins<sup>4

1</sup>  NASA Ames Research Center, MS 239/4, Moffett Field, CA 94035, U.S.A.
²  ENESAD-LGAP, 26 boulevard du Docteur Petitjean, BP. 1607, 21036 Dijon, France
³  Los Alamos National Laboratory, EES-1, Geology/Geochemistry, P.O. Box 1663 MS D462, Los Alamos, NM 87545, U.S.A.
⁴  Jet Propulsion Laboratory, MS 300-315L, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA

Abstract
In the context of the exploration of Mars, the availability of an instrument for in-situ mineralogical characterization of the surface of the planet is of the highest importance. We are developing a miniature X-ray diffraction / fluorescence instrument for this specific purpose. The concept of the instrument is based on the use of a single CCD detector exposed directly to the X-rays diffracted and fluoresced by a sample. A first prototype has been realized to test the concept of simultaneous XRD and XRF measurement with a single CCD detector. This paper presents the result obtained after refinement of this instrument. The capability of the technique has been proven. Further developments are planned to propose a miniature XRD/XRF instrument for planetary exploration. The concept utilized in this project could find a range of applications as laboratory instruments or portable instruments.

© EDP Sciences 1998