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The PIXL Instrument on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover
- Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- The Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) is a micro-focus X-ray fluorescence spectrometer mounted on the robotic arm of NASA's Perseverance rover. PIXL will acquire high spatial resolution observations of rock and soil chemistry, rapidly analyzing the elemental chemistry of a target surface. In 10 seconds, PIXL can use its powerful 120 micrometer diameter X-ray beam to analyze a single, sand-sized grain with enough sensitivity to detect major and minor rock-forming elements, as well as many trace elements. Over a period of several hours, PIXL can autonomously scan an area of the rock surface and acquire a hyperspectral map comprised of several thousand individual measured points.<br />Comment: 2 pages, from 52nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2021/pdf/1591.pdf
- Subjects :
- Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors
Physics - Applied Physics
Subjects
Details
- Database :
- arXiv
- Publication Type :
- Report
- Accession number :
- edsarx.2103.07001
- Document Type :
- Working Paper