Related papers: Instrumentation For Geological Fieldwork on the Mo…
We present the Infrared spectrometer of SuperCam Instrument Suite that enables the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover to study remotely the Martian mineralogy within the Jezero crater. The SuperCam IR spectrometer is designed to acquire spectra…
The lunar Askaryan technique, which involves searching for Askaryan radio pulses from particle cascades in the outer layers of the Moon, is a method for using the lunar surface as an extremely large detector of ultra-high-energy particles.…
In support of the Astrobiology Science Strategy, this whitepaper outlines some key technology challenges pertaining to the remote search for life in exoplanetary systems. Finding evidence for life on rocky planets outside of our solar…
The next generation of solar telescopes will enable us to resolve the fundamental scales of the solar atmosphere, i.e., the pressure scale height and the photon mean free path. High-resolution observations of small-scale structures with…
This paper discusses the scientific objectives for the ESA Lunar Lander Mission, which emphasise human exploration preparatory science and introduces the model scientific payload considered as part of the on-going mission studies, in…
Detectors for gamma-ray astronomy are complex: they often comprise multiple sub-systems and utilize new and/or custom-developed detector components and readout electronics. Gamma rays are typically not detected directly: ground-based…
The Gemini Planet Imager is a newly commissioned facility instrument designed to measure the near-infrared spectra of young extrasolar planets in the solar neighborhood and obtain imaging polarimetry of circumstellar disks. GPI's science…
The physical state of the lunar soil in the permanently shadowed craters of the moon is inferred from experimental investigation. The permanently shadowed craters do not undergo the same thermal cycling experienced by other parts of the…
Mining $^3{\rm He}$ from lunar regolith has attracted significant interest in recent years due to the scarcity of $^3{\rm He}$ on Earth and its diverse applications, from cryogenics and medical imaging, to nuclear physics and future nuclear…
A new generation of low frequency radio telescopes is seeking to observe the redshifted 21 cm signal from the Epoch of Reionization (EoR), requiring innovative methods of calibration and imaging to overcome the difficulties of widefield low…
Detections of transiting planets from the upcoming PLATO mission are expected to face significant contamination from contaminating eclipsing binaries, resulting in false positives. To counter this, a ground-based programme to acquire…
MIDAS is a miniature detector developed with purpose to assess the radiation field parameters near to an astronaut. Part of the device is a spectrometer for fast neutrons. In missions outside the geomagnetic field, fast neutrons are…
The ESA/NASA Rosalind Franklin rover, planned for launch in 2028, will carry the first laser desorption ionization mass spectrometer (LDI-MS) to Mars as part of the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) instrument. MOMA will contribute to…
Nowadays, tens of satellites carry hyperspectral spectrometers. Such instruments allow decomposing the light that exits the atmosphere from its top into hundreds to thousands of contiguous spectral channels. By analysis of the light…
Several lunar missions are planned ahead and there is an increasing demand for efficient photovoltaic power generation in the moon. The knowledge of solar cell operation in the lunar surface obtained during early seventies need to be…
In recent years, the Moon has emerged as an unparalleled extraterrestrial testbed for advancing cuttingedge technological and scientific research critical to enabling sustained human presence on its surface and supporting future…
The Lunar Gravitational-wave Antenna (LGWA) is a proposed array of next-generation inertial sensors to monitor the response of the Moon to gravitational waves (GWs). Given the size of the Moon and the expected noise produced by the lunar…
Research activities during the last decade have shown the strong potential of photonic devices to greatly simplify ground based and space borne astronomical instruments and to improve their performance. We focus specifically on the…
X-ray spectroscopy is a powerful technique for the analysis of the energy distribution of X-rays from astrophysical sources. It allows for the study of the properties, composition, and physical processes taking place at the site of…
Ambitious studies of Earth-like extrasolar planets are outlined in the context of an exploration initiative for a return to the Earth's Moon. Two mechanism for linearly polarizing light reflected from Earth-like planets are discussed: 1)…