Results from the ISM experiment

THE imaging spectrometer ISM, operating in the near infrared, is the first ever flown in space for planetary observation. With a spectral range of 0.76–3.14μm, its main goals were to obtain information on the mineralogical composition of the surfaces of Mars and Phobos, and on the composition, spatial and temporal variations of the martian atmosphere. The infrared imaging spectrometer ISM acquired 40,000 spectra of Mars and Phobos. Here we present the first results on the surface mineralogy of Mars and Phobos, and the atmospheric composition of Mars.