The concept of gamma-ray remote sensing of Martian surface composition onboard a Mars Rover

A novel concept of.-ray remote sensing experiment onboard a Mars Rover is considered for studies of Martian shallow subsurface composition with a high spatial resolution. Only those photons produced in reactions of neutron inelastic scattering on nuclei of surface constituting elements are recorded by the proposed gamma-ray spectrometer, which use time tags of particles of Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR), producing these reactions. It is shown that the composition of the Martian regolith may be determined by this gamma-ray spectrometer with a spatial resolution of meters along the traverse of a Mars Rover.

Automated summary

This article introduces a novel concept of conducting x-ray remote sensing experiments aboard a Mars Rover to study the composition of the Martian shallow subsurface with high spatial resolution. By recording only the photons produced in reactions of neutron inelastic scattering on surface constituting elements, using time tags of particles from Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) as a means of producing these reactions, it is possible to determine the composition of the Martian regolith with a spatial resolution of meters along the Mars Rover traverse.