Juno| Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Sample!

Project Details

The Challenge | Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Sample!

You are the astronaut/robotic mission lead tasked with bringing valuable specimens from the Moon back to Earth for further study. How will you evaluate lunar samples quickly and effectively before or while still on the mission? How will you differentiate samples of potential scientific value from less interesting material?

Optimizing Astronaut's time on Lunar surface

Using XRD/XRF Techniques in combination to detect valuable items of the Lunar surface that will improve the productivity and scientific value of the Space Missions.

Background :

Once the astronaut lands on the surface, they have very limited time to pick out valuable samples. The value of a particular rock sample depends on the mission’s objective. We have taken up this challenge

to optimize an astronaut’s productivity while on the lunar surface.

What is does:

Our technique is based on using XRD/XRF to speed up a sample’s analysis and valuability quantification. These techniques in combination offer greater accuracy and reliability. This concept of XRD/XRF combination can be incorporated into a portable device that contains a detecting system and a monitor that analyses the value of any lunar object quantitatively.

The X Ray diffraction and fluorescence techniques in a combination will provide elemental as well as compound analysis. The data will be computed in the form of graphs and will show us the composition of an element or a compound in parts per million.

The device can have a dual detection system with a single monitor for displaying the results. With Artemis mission focusing on the southern pole of the Moon, we were interested in developing something that will be useful exclusively to the mission which is to find traces of water. Our technique will not only find traces of hydroxide, hydrates or hydroxyl but also precious metals like Ti, Mg, etc from the soil samples.


NASA Resources:

1. To study the existing technology of CheMin on mars rover

https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/spacecraft/instruments/chemin/

2. To study the essential soil composition that will be beneficial for the Artemis Mission

The Lunar Source book

3. To study the science behind XRD

MINERALOGY DETERMINATIONS BY CHEMIN XRD, TESTED ON ULTRAMAFIC ROCKS

Future plans:

We have designed the initial stage that is the methodology of this project. We would like to work more on this project and develop the prototype and test it to see the validation of our idea.

Built with:

As we have built the solution in the form of a methodology/technique, the device is yet to be developed, but with proper funding and enough time we will be able to develop this concept into a product.

Try it out:

Video link: