We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Method based on artificial excitation of characteristic radiation by an electron beam for remote X-ray spectral elemental analysis of surface rocks on atmosphereless celestial bodies.
- Authors
Kolesnikov, E.
- Abstract
This article, like our previous one [1], is devoted to advanced space technology concepts. It evaluates the potential for developing active systems to conduct a remote elemental analysis of surface rocks on an atmosphereless celestial body. The analysis is based on the spectrometry of characteristic X-rays (CXR) artificially excited in the surface soil layer. It has been proposed to use an electron beam injected from aboard a spacecraft orbiting the celestial body (or moving in a flyby trajectory) to excite the CXR elements contained in surface rocks. The focus is on specifying technical requirements to the parameters of payloads for a global mapping of the composition of lunar rocks from aboard of a low-orbiting lunar satellite. This article uses the results obtained in [2], our first study that shows the potential to develop an active system for a remote elemental analysis of lunar surface rocks using the above method. Although there has been interest in our research on the part of leading national academic institutions and space technology developers in the Soviet Union, the studies were discontinued because of the termination of the Soviet lunar program and the completion of the American Apollo program.
- Subjects
SOVIET Union; ASTRONAUTICS; ELECTRON beams; X-ray spectra; LUNAR satellite orbits
- Publication
Cosmic Research, 2016, Vol 54, Issue 6, p491
- ISSN
0010-9525
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1134/S0010952516060058