Polychromix partners with NASA to develop lunar spectrometers
October 30, 2006, Wilmington, MA--Polychromix, a developer of innovative spectroscopy solutions, is collaborating with NASA to provide digital transform spectrometer tools for determining water content on the surface of the moon.
Under the agreement, NASA will outfit the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) with Polychromix near-infrared spectrometers. NASA chose Polychromix's technology because of its unique low power consumption, small size, low weight and reliability - all essential features for mission critical applications. The Polychromix near-infrared spectrometer will be included in the research vehicle to identify the presence of water ice at the Moon's South Pole. The mission will consist of dropping a payload onto the moon's South Pole to produce a material cloud that can be analyzed.
Much of NASA's planned scientific exploration is geared to the search for lunar ice, which astronauts could drink and convert to rocket fuel. The LCROSS mission, with Polychromix's technology will help settle researchers' ongoing conflicting conclusions and perhaps pave the way for humans' return to the moon.
"We are honored that NASA selected Polychromix's digital transform spectrometer technology for this exciting endeavor," said Dan Klevisha, vice president of infrared Systems at Polychromix. "Our selection for the mission is a testimonial to this breakthrough technology and our commitment to building quality products."