Miniaturized Raman/LIBS instrument for in situ planetary exploration

In our solar system, there is a multitude of planetary bodies without substantial atmospheres, including asteroids, comets, moons, and minor planets. Due to their lack of atmospheres, these bodies are not affected by atmospheric alteration processes. Asteroids and comets especially are considered to be least evolved objects in the solar system, possibly even still containing pre-solar grains from the proto-solar nebula [1]. Therefore, the study of planetary objects without atmospheres can yield important information about the formation of the solar system. This makes them interesting targets for robotic exploration with instruments that are able to determine the chemical composition of both their surface and subsurface.