HR: 0800h
AN: P21A-0211    [Abstracts]
TI: Reflectance microspectroscopy of natural rock samples in the visible and short-wave infrared
AU: Mouroulis, P
EM: zakos@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, United States
AU: Van Gorp, B
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, United States
AU: * Blaney, D L
EM: Diana.Blaney@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, United States
AU: Green, R O
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, United States
AB: We have collected reflectance spectra of various rock samples in the 450-1650 nm wavelength range with a spatial resolution of 50 and 100 micrometers and we have compared three microscopic modalities, confocal, bright-field, and dark-field. High contrast spectra that are comparable to those obtained from macroscopic measurements have been obtained in dark field mode from rough, unprepared samples of jarosite, alunite, olivine, gibbsite, and other minerals and test targets. The scale of roughness of the samples is consistent with that obtained from a typical Mars rover rock abrasion tool. Spectral discrimination and spatial resolution are demonstrated at the sharp boundaries between two different minerals. The confocal and bright field modes are shown to suffer from previously known potential artifacts, but the usefulness of the confocal mode in establishing optimum focus automatically remains. These results support the conclusion that reflectance microspectroscopy in the visible to short-wave infrared can be a valuable tool for understanding mineral formation at the spatial scale of tens of micrometers and is suitable for unsupervised operation on the Martian surface.
DE: 5400 PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS
DE: 5464 Remote sensing
DE: 5494 Instruments and techniques
DE: 6225 Mars
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting