Raman-LIBS, a journey from Mars to Earth via the Moon

Raman-LIBS, a journey from Mars to Earth via the Moon

Court, A.J.

2019

In 2005 ESA initiated a study for a spectrometer combining Raman and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)as a potential instrument for the Pasteur payload of the ESA ExoMars rover. It is a fundamental, next-generation instrument for organic, mineralogical and elemental characterization of soil, rock samples and organic molecules. The objective was to combine Raman spectroscopy and LIBS (R-L)into a single instrument sharing many hardware commonalities. The resulting 'elegant bread board' (EBB) was successfully tested in 'Mars' like condition. Ultimately a reduced Raman only instrument was selected. In a later ESA study, the R-L system was adapted for use in a lunar rover and, again, the EBB was used under high vacuum conditions, and demonstrated that in situ laser analysis of regolith like materials was possible under high vacuum conditions. The developed knowledge and technology has continued to be used here on Earth with various spin-offs into industrial and medical applications. This paper will describe the origin of the R-L technology and its path through the different Space roles on into the spin-off systems which are now transferring into Earth based systems and will look toward the potential role of R-L in future space missions to asteroids and comets.

Space & Scientific Instrumentation
Industrial Innovation
Laserinduced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)
RAMAN-LIBS
Spectrometers

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:6f50d0e5-a5fc-458c-a2df-8b5392485c37

867945

IEEE

9781538668542

1095-323X

IEEE Aerospace Conference Proceedings, AERO 2019, 2-9 March 2019, Friedrichshafen, Germany

8741619

conference paper