INNOVATIVE REMOTE SPECTROSCOPIC TECHNIQUES FOR PLANETARY EXPLORATION

Abstract

This dissertation describes research involving three basic aspects of planetary missions using spectroscopic techniques for planetary exploration, namely instrumentation development, scientific qualification of instrumentation, and prioritization of data returned to Earth. The first chapter of this dissertation introduces the basic topics that are involved in the subsequent chapters. The second chapter describes the development and value of a compact portable remote Raman spectrometer that collects spectra of targets hundreds of meters away. This project validated the system and displayed a technological advance in the field as the farthest Raman measurement yet using a compact Raman system. The third chapter uses the same instrumentation developed in chapter 2 to validate the use of Raman spectroscopy in the exploration of ocean worlds. Ocean worlds are found in the outer Solar System and have been at the center of habitability studies over the past few decades. In order for instrumentation to be applicable onboard a mission payload, it must be capable of measuring samples relevant to the science goals of that mission. By procuring and measuring ocean world relevant samples, I convince the audience that a remote Raman spectrometer is a scientifically valuable tool for inclusion on a mission to the surface of an ocean world. The final part of this dissertation deals with the processing of data once it is collected. Hyperspectral imaging spectrometers characterize surfaces by the absorption features resulting from the interaction of light with a planetary surface. The absorption features are specific to the characteristics of the surface from which light was reflected from. These spectrometers are valuable due to their ability to sample from orbit with high spectral and spatial resolution. In the same thread, these instruments produce ever-growing datasets that often surpass the available return bandwidth. In order to improve the science that a mission conducts, it is essential to retrieve as much scientifically relevant data as possible. One way to bypass the constrained bandwidth while reserving scientifically valuable data is to prioritize the data onboard. I use the example of UCIS-Moon, an imaging spectrometer with a mission to the south pole of the Moon, to prove the implications of onboard data prioritization. UCIS-Moon extends to 3.6 µm, a spectral region not yet studied extensively at the lunar surface. In order to test onboard prioritization algorithms, I created a dataset extending into this spectral range, based on previously collected lunar orbital and laboratory data. The results of this study will benefit future imaging spectrometers developed for lunar studies and show that the algorithms tested can reduce a returned dataset by at least 29%.