The MARTE VNIR imaging spectrometer experiment: design and analysis.

We report on the design, operation and data analysis methods employed on the Imaging Spectrometer Instrument as part of the Mars Analog Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE). The Imaging Spectrometer is a hyperspectral scanning pushbroom device sensitive to wavelengths from 400-1000nm. During the MARTE project, the spectrometer was deployed to the Rio Tínto region of Spain. We analyzed subsets of three cores from Rio Tínto using a new band modeling technique. We found most of the MARTE drill cores to contain predominantly goethite, although spatially coherent areas of hematite were identified in core 23. We also distinguished non Fe-bearing minerals that were subsequently analyzed by XRD and found to be primarily muscovite. We present drill core maps including goethite and hematite, and non Fe-bearing minerals.

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