An instrument from the University of Bern flies to the moon
Published: Thursday, Nov 9th 2023, 15:31
Updated At: Thursday, Nov 9th 2023, 15:33
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An instrument from the University of Bern is going to the moon. In 2027, a so-called mass spectrometer from Bern will be used for the chemical analysis of moon rocks, the university announced.
The instrument called "Lims" (Laser Ablation Ionization Mass Spectrometer) is to land in the southern polar region of the moon, as announced by the University of Bern (Unibe) on Thursday. According to the researchers, this region is particularly interesting because certain elements occur there whose isotopes make it possible to determine the age of the material.
Lims" uses a laser beam to detach small particles from the surface of the moon. Some of the material becomes positively charged in the process. The instrument then measures the chemical composition of these positively charged particles. "In other words, we measure the chemical elements and their isotopes, which then allow us to understand the chemical and physical processes on the moon, among other things," said project leader Andreas Riedo in the press release from the University of Bern.
In the works for 20 years
According to the university, no one had ever used this measurement technology on a space mission before. "Not only will we be the first, but we will also obtain a considerable amount of technical information about our system. This will allow us to optimize the system for other scientific questions and other missions," Riedo continued.
The measuring instrument could also be used for future space missions to detect life, for example in the atmosphere of Venus, on Mars and on the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn. The development of "Lims" began more than 20 years ago.
"Lims" will fly to the moon on a lunar lander from the American space agency NASA's CLPS initiative. CLPS stands for Commercial Lunar Payload Services. It is a Nasa initiative to bring science and technology to the surface of the moon.
University of Bern has already been to the moon
The University of Bern was already involved in NASA's Apollo moon mission in the 1960s with a solar wind sail. When Buzz Aldrin became the second man to step out of the lunar module on July 21, 1969, he was the first to unfurl the Bernese solar wind sail and insert it into the lunar soil, according to the university.
Since then, the University of Bern has regularly taken part in space missions. One well-known example is the Bernese space telescope "Cheops", which has been studying known exoplanets in more detail since 2019. Among other things, the researchers want to find out whether life-friendly conditions prevail on one of the planets
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