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  HOME ::: MISSION ::: M3
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MISSION OF OPPORTUNITY:  MOON MINERALOGY MAPPER

Dawn satellite  spacer The Moon Mineralogy Mapper, or M3, (pronounced M-cube) is one of eleven instruments that will fly on board Chandrayaan-1, India's first deep space mission. A project of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the goals of the mission include expanding scientific knowledge of the Moon, upgrading India's technological capability, and providing challenging opportunities for planetary research for the younger generation.

The mission will provide high resolution remote sensing of the Moon in the visible, near infrared, low energy X-ray and high-energy X-ray regions that will be used in preparing a three-dimensional atlas and for chemical mapping of the entire lunar surface.  The M3 instrument will provide the finest detail over the broadest spectral range among all of the instruments that have ever flown to the Moon.

Chandrayaan-1 is one of a series of international missions to the Moon that began in 2003. Scheduled to launch in September 2008 from a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), the mission duration is planned to be two years.

M3 Mapping
(Click on picture for larger picture)

SCIENCE OBJECTIVES

M3 will characterize and map the mineral composition of the Moon at high resolution, which will dramatically improve our understanding of the early evolution of the terrestrial planets. M3 will also provide an assessment of lunar resources at high spatial resolution. 
The instrument is a grating spectrometer, operating over the spectral region of 0.43 to 3 microns. It consists of three major elements:  an optical bench assembly, electronics, and a thermal subassembly.  M3 will produce global maps of the mineral content of the lunar surface at 70m spatial resolution and 10 nm spectral resolution.

Specific objectives are to:

  • Evaluate primary crustal components and their distribution across the highlands.
  • Characterize the diversity and extent of different types of basaltic volcanism.
  • Map fresh craters to assess abundance of small impacts in the recent past.
  • Identify and assess deposits containing volatiles.
  • Identify and evaluate concentrations of unusual/unexpected minerals.

MISSION MANAGEMENT

Dr. Carle Pieters of Brown University is the Principal Investigator.  Project management and instrument development are being performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

A Discovery Mission of Opportunity is not a complete Discovery Mission, but is one part of a larger mission. It gives the U.S. scientific community the chance to participate in non-NASA missions by providing funding for a science instrument, hardware components of a science instrument, or expertise in critical areas of a mission.

For more information, please visit the M3 home page.
   
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