A mole deployed mass spectrometer for in-situ sub-surface volatile characterisation

Sheridan, Simon; Bardwell, Max; Morse, Andrew; Barber, Simeon; Zoest, Tim and Wright, Ian (2012). A mole deployed mass spectrometer for in-situ sub-surface volatile characterisation. In: European Lunar Symposium, 19-20 Apr 2012, Berlin, Germany.

URL: http://lunarscience.nasa.gov/els2012/sites/default...

Abstract

In recent years observational studies of the moon using orbital spacecraft and investigations carried out on returned samples have inferred the presence of a significant reservoir of volatile compounds, particularly water. It seems very likely that these volatile compounds will be concentrated at the poles and other locations, such as at depth, where low temperatures exist to provide cryogenic traps. However, the full inventory of these species, their concentration and their sources are unknown. Of particular interest is whether, or not, the abundances are sufficient to allow extraction and recovery as consumables for ISRU (In Situ Resource Utilisation) for use in the long term exploration of both the Moon itself and further out into the solar system.

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