X-ray fluorescence/diffraction analyzer for the SELENE-B lander/rover mission Original Research Article

A miniaturized X-ray fluorescence and diffraction analyzer is being developed for the SELENE-B, a future Japanese lunar lander and rover mission, to analyze major elemental composition and mineralogy. An onboard micro X-ray tube with a fine focus collimator is used to generate primary X-rays that excite fluorescence X-rays characteristic of major elements in collected samples; the primary X-rays are also scattered into X-ray diffraction pattern reflecting lattice structures of the component minerals. By using a two-dimensional charge-coupled device, pulse height analysis for XRF and diffraction pattern extraction for XRD will be simultaneously carried out. The instrument covers an energy detection range from 1 to 10 KeV and measures diffraction angles from 20 to 60 degrees for elemental and mineral analysis, respectively. We show the results of laboratory experiments conducted with alumina powder.