From the Editor: Can Case Management Help?

No abstract available

Sampling of planetary surface solids for unmanned in situ geological and biological analysis - Strategy, principles, and instrument requirements

Sampling requirements for in situ geological and biological analysis of planetary surface rocks by unmanned spacecraf

Solid sulfur in vacuum: Sublimation effects on surface microtexture, color and spectral reflectance, and applications to planetary surfaces

A form of sulfur that is white at room temperature and very fluffy in texture has been found in laboratory experiments on the effects of vacuum sublimation (evaporation) on solid sulfur. This work is an outgrowth of proton sputtering experiments on sulfur directed toward understanding Jovian magnetospheric effects on the surface of Io. Fluffy white sulfur is formed on the surface of solid yellow, tan, or brown sulfur melt freezes in vacuum by differential (fractional) evaporation of two or more sulfur molecular species present in the original sulfur; S(8) ring sulfur is thought to be the dominant sublimination phase lost to the vacuum sink, and polymeric chain sulfur S(u) the dominant residual phase that remains in place, forming the residual fluffy surface layer. The reflectance spectrum of the original sulfur surface is greaty modified by formation of the fluffy layer: the blue absorption band-edge and shoulder move 0.05 to 0.06 microns toward shorter wavelengths resulting in a permanent increase in reflectivity near 0.42 to 0.46 microns; the UV reflectivity below 0.40 microns is reduced. This form of sulfur should exist in large quantity on the surface of Io, especially in hotspot regions if there is solid free sulfur there that has solidified from a melt. Its color and spectra will indicate relative crystallization age on a scale of days to months and/or surface temperature distribution history

Infrared reflectance spectra (4-12 micron) of lunar samples

Presented here are infrared reflectance spectra of a typical set of Apollo samples to illustrate spectral character in the mid-infrared (4 to 12 microns) of lunar materials and how the spectra varies among three main forms: soil, breccia, and igneous rocks. Reflectance data, to a close approximation, are the inverse of emission spectra; thus, for a given material the spectral reflectance (R) at any given wavelength is related to emission (E) by 1 - R equals E. Therefore, one can use reflectance spectra of lunar samples to predict how emission spectra of material on the lunar surface will appear to spectrometers on orbiting spacecraft or earthbound telescopes. Spectra were measured in the lab in dry air using a Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer. Shown here is only the key portion (4 to 12 microns) of each spectrum relating to the principal spectral emission region for sunlit lunar materials and to where the most diagnostic spectral features occur