THE USE OF HANDHELD X-RAY FLUORESCENCE TECHNOLOGY IN PLANETARY SURFACE EXPLORATION

Advanced planetary field geology, which will include the coordination of human and robotic missions of scientific exploration, will be greatly enhanced by the use of “smart tools” to provide heightened sensory awareness of the landscape. We can imagine an array of portable, multi-use tools that can be employed by astronaut explorers and their robotic counterparts to elucidate subtle distinctions among geologic map units or to “high-grade” samples for return to Earth laboratories. One smart tool that may be extremely useful for such purposes is a small, portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. In a manned mission, astronauts can be trained to use the XRF data, along with high-resolution context images, to make informed decisions about which are the most valuable samples to return. The effectiveness of tools such as the XRF is being examined in the context of both the NASA Ames K10 robot test at the Haughton-Mars Project site on Devon Island, Canada, and in the Space Exploration Vehicle (SEV) at the NASA Desert RATS field test at Black Point Lava Flow, Arizona. Both of these activities use orbital images to plan traverses, and field data is collected along these traverses to produce a comprehensive geologic understanding of the analog site in question. The K10 robot was tested as a robotic follow-up mission to a manned traverse in and around Haughton Crater in July-August 2010. The XRF was used to get a basic understanding of the surface geochemistry of the region. Systematic transects were made using the robot to understand the overall region’s geochemistry, as well as any changes visible as the robot moved across the surface. During the Desert RATS test in September 2010, the XRF will be used as part of a prototype geologic laboratory designed for planetary surface operations. In this context, the XRF is used to get a first-hand look at a sample’s geochemistry in order to high-grade samples for a return mission.