Development of the probing in-situ with Neutron and Gamma rays (PING) instrument for planetary science applications

Autor: Parsons Ann, L. G. Evans, Dan Burger, Jeffrey Schweitzer, S. R. Floyd, R. Starr, J. Bodnarik, Jacob I. Trombka, T. McClanahan, Suzanne F. Nowicki, Lucy F. Lim, M. Namkung
Rok vydání: 2011
Předmět:
Zdroj: 2011 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record.
DOI: 10.1109/nssmic.2011.6154608
Popis: This paper describes the testing of a prototype active neutron/ gamma ray instrument for use in planetary science space applications. The Probing In situ with Neutrons and Gamma rays (PING) instrument can measure the full bulk elemental composition of a planet's surface over a 1 m2 area and down to 30 – 50 cm depth without the need to drill into the surface material. PING consists of three components: a pulsed neutron generator that emits 14 MeV neutrons that penetrate the surface and excite the nuclei of the planetary material; a gamma ray spectrometer that measures the energy and intensity of the gamma rays emitted by these nuclear reactions; and neutron detectors to measure the neutron moderation properties of the material. PING is tested on Earth at a unique facility near NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center where PING can be safely operated outdoors and unshielded sitting atop large (1.8m × 1.8m × .9m), well-characterized granite and basalt monuments. We will describe both this test facility and our experiments, and present gamma ray spectroscopy results that demonstrate PING's capabilities.
Databáze: OpenAIRE