RIS4E at Kilauea’s December 1974 Flow: Assessing the Integration of Portable Infrared Multispectral Imaging into Planetary Surface Exploration

Abstract:

Portable, hand-held geochemical and mineralogical instruments are potentially valuable tools to be used in sample collection and site documentation activities during future human missions to planetary bodies. The main purpose of these instruments is to allow fast in situ analyses of rocks and soils so that astronauts can quickly document sample characteristics and context, and make strategic decisions on sample selection in the context of predefined scientific objectives. As part of the Remote, In Situ, and Synchrotron Studies for Science and Exploration (RIS⁴E) investigation, we test the performance of candidate instruments and operational procedures through fieldwork expeditions that simulate lunar and asteroid environments on Earth. Our field site, Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, is a lava field with landscape and mineralogy that represent a reasonable analog to the Moon and some differentiated asteroids. In this paper, we focus on one of the candidate instruments, the infrared multispectral imager. During field expeditions in 2014 and 2015, we explored the applicability of the multispectral imager in manned surface operations. From these expeditions, our instrument calibration techniques and data collection procedures matured. Current work focuses on assessment of data product usefulness, through comparison with detailed laboratory chemical and spectral measurements, and field descriptions of surface textures. Our field expeditions will continue in other analog locations to obtain improved understanding of the multispectral imager and its role in sampling workflow so that science return can be maximized in future human missions.