The D-Cixs X-Ray Spectrometer On Esa's Smart-1 Mission To The Moon

The D-CIXS (Demonstration of a Compact Imaging X-ray Spectrometer) instrument will provide high quality spectroscopic mapping of the Moon, the primary science target of the ESA SMART-1 mission. At the same time it will demonstrate a radically novel approach to building a type of instrument essential...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Earth, moon, and planets moon, and planets, 1999-01, Vol.85-86 (1-3), p.143-152
Main Author: Grande, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aluminum
Fluorescence spectroscopy
Iron
Lunar evolution
Lunar resources
Lunar surface
Magnesium
Mercury
Moon
Solar flares
X ray imagery
X ray spectrometers
X-ray fluorescence
X-rays
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Summary:The D-CIXS (Demonstration of a Compact Imaging X-ray Spectrometer) instrument will provide high quality spectroscopic mapping of the Moon, the primary science target of the ESA SMART-1 mission. At the same time it will demonstrate a radically novel approach to building a type of instrument essential for the Mercury cornerstone mission. It consists of a high throughput spectrometer, which will perform spatially localised X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, and a solar monitor to provide the calibration of the illumination necessary to produce a global map of absolute lunar elemental abundances. D-CIXS will provide the first global coverage of the lunar surface in X-rays, providing absolute measurements of Fe, Mg, Al and Si under normal solar conditions and several others during solar flare events. In combination with information to beobtained by the other instruments on SMART-1 and from previous missions, thisinformation will enable a more detailed look at some of the fundamental questions that remain regarding the origin and evolution of the Moon and will help us to map Lunar resources more effectively.
ISSN:0167-9295
1573-0794
DOI:10.1023/A:1017011830634