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End of Smart-1 Mission

SMART-1 sucessfully finished its mission on September 3rd 2006 when the spacecraft impacted the lunar surface in the Lacus Excellentiae region. The planned impact concluded a successful mission that, in addition to testing innovative space technology, had been conducting a thorough scientific exploration of the Moon for about a year and a half.

First light on D-CIXS. IMAGE: CCLRC (Barry Kellett)

D-CIXS gets to the Moon! - First Lunar X-Ray Data

SMART-1 has now successfully arrived in its lunar orbit and has begun scientific operations. D-CIXS is undergoing lunar commissioning and has successfully obtained x-ray energy spectra of the lunar surface - a first for a European instrument!

 

Image of the flight model of D-CIXS. Courtesy of CCLRC

 Instrument

D-CIXS is a Demonstration of a Compact Imaging X-ray Spectrometer selected for part of the payload for ESA's SMART-1 mission to the Moon.It is a sophisticated miniaturisation of an X-ray Spectrometer that employs radical new technology to greatly reduce the mass and volume of the instrument.

The instrument is a new technological evolution, centering around a purpose-designed matrix of the newly developed Swept Charge Device (SCD) X-ray sensors mounted behind low profile gold/copper collimators and aluminium thin film filters. The system has the virtue of providing superior X-ray detection, spectroscopic and spatial measurement capabilities

Full Moon Inage: http://science.nasa.gov/images/bluemoon_fred.jpg

 Science

The D-CIXS X-ray spectrometer built at the CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK will provide the first global coverage of the lunar surface in X-rays, providing absolute measurements of elemental abundances.

The instrument will be able to detect abundances of the rock forming elements Mg, Al and Si under normal solar conditions and several other elements during solar flare events.

Geochemical data will allow for advances in several areas of lunar science, including an improved estimate of the bulk composition of the Moon and detailed studies of the nature of the crust. In combination with information to be obtained by the other instruments on SMART-1 and the data already provided by the Clementine and Lunar Prospector mission, this information will provide a more detailed look at some of the fundamental questions that remain regarding the origin and evolution of the Moon.

SMART-1 Launch. IMAGE: ESA

Mission Timeline

A description of D-CIXS and SMART-1's progress so far.

 

Investigators and Contacts

A list of D-CIXS investigators and associates

 

Press images and contact information

 
D-CIXS Documents and FTP site [Information for the D-CIXS Team]

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