| MOON MINERALOGY MAPPER (M3) |
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| M3 high-resolution mineral compositional maps will improve our understanding of the early evolution of a differentiated planetary body and also provide a high-resolution assessment of lunar resources. |
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| Scientific Objectives: |
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| The primary Science goal of M3 is to characterize and map lunar surface mineralogy in the context of lunar geologic evolution. This translates into several sub-topics relating to understanding the highland crust, basaltic volcanism, impact craters, and potential volatiles. |
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| The primary exploration goal is to assess and map lunar mineral resources at high spatial resolution to support planning for future, targeted missions. |
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| These M3 goals translate directly into the following requirements: |
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1. Accurate measurement of diagnostic absorption features of rocks and minerals. |
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2. High spectral resolution for deconvolution into mineral components. |
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3. High spatial resolution for assessment of geologic context and active processes. |
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| The M3 scientific instrument is a high throughput push broom imaging spectrometer operating in 0.7 to 3.0 µ m range. It measures solar reflected energy using a two-dimensional HgCdTe detector array. |
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| Sampling : 10 nanometers |
| Spatial resolution: 70 m/pixel [from 100 km orbit] |
| Field of View: 40 km [from 100 km orbit] |
| Weight: about 7 kg |
| Power average: about 13 W |
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| Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) payload is from Brown University and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USA through NASA |
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| For further details |
| http://moonmineralogymapper.jpl.nasa.gov |
| http://discovery.nasa.gov/M-Cube.html |
