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Completed TRL 3 (started at 3, targeting 4)
We have built a brass-board combination contact XRD/X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument, CMIST (Chromatic Mineral Identification and Surface Texture), that provides chemical composition as well as unique crystal “texture” analyses to determine crystal locations, sizes, and orientations, including volatiles, for unprepared samples within minutes of initiating a measurement. We will evaluate CMIST's capability to detect volatile crystals.
Contact X-ray diffraction (XRD) is an area of technology development with an advantage over traditional XRD in that no sample preparation (e.g., crushing and sieving) is required. We have built a brass-board contact XRD/X-ray fluorescence (XRF) device, CMIST (Chromatic Mineral Identification and Surface Texture), that provides chemical and unique crystalline “texture” analyses for unprepared samples, revealing surface crystal phases, morphologies, and orientations, including for volatiles. We will evaluate CMIST's capability to detect volatile crystals mixed within regolith, to assess the chemistry of briny crystals and the regolith component.
The lack of moving parts and sample preparation requirements, coupled with the instrument's small size, make this an ideal tool for use during future human or rover exploration missions.
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