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A Promising Experiment with a Gamma Ray Spectrometer Onboard a Mobile Spacecraft to Study the Elemental Composition of the Moon, Mars, and Other Celestial Bodies without an Atmosphere or with a Thin Atmosphere

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Abstract

A new concept of a space experiment with a γ-ray spectrometer onboard a mobile spacecraft has been proposed for studying the elemental composition of the Moon, Mars, and other celestial bodies without an atmosphere or with a thin atmosphere using the method of tagged charged particles of galactic cosmic rays. This technique makes it possible to eliminate almost fully the background of γ-radiation from the spacecraft with the instrument installed onboard and significantly increase the spatial resolution for studying the elemental composition of matter along the mobile spacecraft trajectory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    A. A. Anikin, M. V. Djachkova, M. L. Litvak, I. G. Mitrofanov, M. I. Mokrousov, S. Yu. Nikiforov & A. B. Sanin

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  1. A. A. Anikin
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  2. M. V. Djachkova
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  3. M. L. Litvak
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  4. I. G. Mitrofanov
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  5. M. I. Mokrousov
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  6. S. Yu. Nikiforov
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  7. A. B. Sanin
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Correspondence to A. A. Anikin.

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Translated by V. Arutyunyan

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Anikin, A.A., Djachkova, M.V., Litvak, M.L. et al. A Promising Experiment with a Gamma Ray Spectrometer Onboard a Mobile Spacecraft to Study the Elemental Composition of the Moon, Mars, and Other Celestial Bodies without an Atmosphere or with a Thin Atmosphere. Cosmic Res 59, 30–35 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0010952521010019

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0010952521010019

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