Albert E. Metzger

The Mars Odyssey Gamma-Ray Spectrometer Instrument Suite

The Mars Odyssey Gamma-Ray Spectrometer is a suite of three different instruments, a gamma subsystem (GS), a neutron spectrometer, and a high-energy neutron detector, working together to collect data that will permit the mapping of elemental concentrations on the surface of Mars. The instruments are complimentary in that the neutron instruments have greater sensitivity to low amounts of hydrogen, but their signals saturate as the hydrogen content gets high. The hydrogen signal in the GS, on the other hand, does not saturate at high hydrogen contents and is sensitive to small differences in hydrogen content even when hydrogen is very abundant. The hydrogen signal in the neutron instruments and the GS have a different dependence on depth, and thus by combining both data sets we can infer not only the amount of hydrogen, but constrain its distribution with depth. In addition to hydrogen, the GS determines the abundances of several other elements. The instruments, the basis of the technique, and the data processing requirements are described as are some expected applications of the data to scientific problems.

Lunar surface radioactivity - Preliminary results of the Apollo 15 and Apollo 16 gamma-ray spectrometer experiments.

Gamma-ray spectrometers on the Apollo 15 and Apollo 16 missions have been used to map the moons radioactivity over 20 percent of its surface. The highest levels of natural radioactivity are found in Mare Imbrium and Oceanus Procellarum with contrastingly lower enhancements in the eastern maria. The ratio of potassium to uranium is higher on the far side than on the near side, although it is everywhere lower than commonly found on the earth.

Reanalysis of the Apollo cosmic gamma-ray spectrum in the 0.3 to 10 MeV energy region

Additional data obtained from the Apollo 16 and 17 missions, together with collateral calculations on background radiation effects, have made possible an improved subtraction of unwanted backgrounds from the diffuse cosmic gamma ray data previously reported from Apollo 15. As a result, the 1 to 10 MeV spectrum is lowered significantly and connects smoothly with recent data at other energies. The inflection reported previously is much less pronounced and has no more than 1.5 sigma significance. Sky occultation by the Apollo 16 spacecraft shows the bulk of the 0.3 to 1 MeV radiation to be diffuse. The analysis of spurious backgrounds points to important improvements for future experiments designed for this spectral region. A light-weight satellite design can give a fourfold improvement in the signal to noise for such a measurement. Use of an anisotropic central crystal, which spins quickly compared with possible time variations in detector background, would enable sensitive limits to be set on galactic plane and point source contributions.

Science applications of the Mars Observer gamma ray spectrometer

The Mars Observer gamma ray spectrometer will return data related to the elemental composition of Mars. The instrument has both a gamma ray spectrometer and several neutron detectors. The gamma ray spectrometer will return a spectrum nominally every 20 s from Mars permitting a map of the elemental abundances to be made. The gamma rays are emitted from nuclei involved in radioactive decay, from nuclei formed by capture of a thermal neutron, and from nuclei put in an excited state by a fast-neutron interaction. The gamma rays come from an average depth of the order of a few tens of centimeters. The spectrum will show sharp emission lines whose intensity determines the concentration of the element and whose energy identifies the element. The neutron detectors, using the fact that the orbital velocity of the Mars Observer spacecraft is similar to the velocity of thermal neutrons, determine both the thermal and epithermal neutron flux. These parameters are particularly sensitive to the concentration of hydrogen in the upper meter of the surface. By combining the results from both techniques it is possible to map the depth dependence of hydrogen in the upper meter as well. These data permit a variety of Martian geoscience problems to be addressed including the crust and mantle composition, weathering processes, volcanism, and the volatile reservoirs and processes. In addition, the instrument is also sensitive to gamma ray and particle fluxes from non-Martian sources and will be able to address problems of astrophysical interest including gamma ray bursts, the extragalactic background, and solar processes.

The cosmic gamma-ray spectrum between 0.3 and 27 MeV measured on Apollo 15.

The spectrum of the total (diffuse and discrete sources) cosmic gamma-ray background over the 0.3 to 27 MeV range was measured with a 7.0 cm diameter x 7.0 cm long uncollimated NaI(Tl) scintillation counter located on a boom 7.6 m from the Apollo 15 service module. Data on cosmic gamma-rays were taken during transearth coast at various boom extensions, detector gains, and with the plastic anticoincidence scintillator enabled and disabled.

The distribution of titanium on the lunar surface

Abstract Titanium concentrations have been derived from measurements with the lunar-orbiting gamma-ray experiment on Apollo 15 and 16 by analyzing a spectral interval in which the titanium signal is relatively enhanced. Landing site soil values provide the reference for a regression curve from which Ti concentrations in 137 regions of adequate counting statistics are calculated. Among the mare regions overflown, the southern portion of Mare Tranquillitatis contains the highest Ti concentration (4.4%), Mare Serenitatis, Mare Fecunditatis, and Mare Smythii have intermediate values corresponding to low-Ti basalts, and Mare Crisium is conspicuously low in Ti (0.9%). Regional values in the western maria range from 1.1% to 4.1%, somewhat higher in the north than in the south, with the highest values seen south and west of Aristarchus. The Aristarchus Plateau appears chemically distinct from the surrounding mare. The younger western basalts mapped by the experiment do not appear to be identical to the Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 high-Ti basalts. Low-Ti basalts predominate in the observed mare regions. Highland Ti concentrations range from undetectable to 1.5% with several exceptions; accuracy is limited by the relatively large uncertainty. Highland results suggest a north-south asymmetry which is not consistent with previously reported results for Fe and Th. Comparisons with telescopic spectral reflectance studies of the maria do not show complete agreement and suggest that effects due to Fe may not have been fully removed from the reflectance data.

The Apollo gamma-ray spectrometer

Abstract A γ-ray spectrometer has been flown on the Apollo 15 and 16 spacecrafts to determine the lunar-surface composition and measure the cosmic γ- ay flux. The instrument included a Nal(Tl) scintillation crystal coupled to a 7.6 cm photomultiplier tube, a plastic mantle for anti-coincidence rejection of charged particles, and 511 channels of analysis. Boom-mounted operation permitted a significant reduction in the background. The data were transmitted on an event-by-event basis. About 22% of the lunar surface was mapped and spectra of the cosmic γ-ray flux over an energy range of 0.065–27.5 MeV have been obtained.

Discovery of Soft X-Ray Emission from Io, Europa and the Io Plasma Torus

We report the discovery of soft (0.25-2 keV) X-ray emission from the Galilean satellites Io and Europa, probably Ganymede, and from the Io Plasma Torus (IPT). Bombardment by energetic (greater than 10 keV) H, O, and S ions from the region of the IPT seems to be the likely source of the X-ray emission from the Galilean satellites. According to our estimates, fluorescent X-ray emission excited by solar X-rays, even during flares from the active Sun, charge-exchange processes, previously invoked to explain Jupiters X-ray aurora and cometary X-ray emission, and ion stripping by dust grains fail to account for the observed emission. On the other hand, bremsstrahlung emission of soft X-rays from nonthermal electrons in the few hundred to few thousand eV range may account for a substantial fraction of the observed X-ray flux from the IPT.

Observation of a cosmic gamma-ray burst on Apollo 16. I - Temporal variability and energy spectrum

A cosmic gamma-ray event occurring April 27, 1972 at 10.68 UT was observed by gamma-ray and X-ray spectrometers on Apollo 16 as well as by Vela 6A. Analysis has yielded a detailed time profile of the entire event, an energy spectrum covering three order of magnitude (2.0 to 7.9 KeV and 0.067 to 5.1 MeV) and a source location. A well-defined onset prior to the main impulse period and a probable precursor are reported. The total energy of the event over the observed range was 2 x 10 to the minus 4th power ergs/sq cm. The data indicate the presence of a hard component which persists during the entire event, with a softer variable component becoming dominant during the most explosive burst portion.

Apollo 15 and 16 results of the integrated geochemical experiment

A number of experiments carried in orbit on the Apollo 15 and 16 spacecraft were used in the compositional mapping of the lunar surface. The observations involved measurements of secondary (fluorescent) X-rays, gamma rays and alpha particle emissions. A large scale compositional map of over 20% of the lunar surface was obtained for the first time. It was possible to demonstrate significant chemical differences between the mare and the highlands, to find specific areas of high radioactivity and to learn something about the composition of the Moons hidden side.