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Instrumentation Available for Community Use

We support the spectroscopy needs of the planetary community through PRECISE, a NASA Planetary Science Enabling Faciltiy at Purdue. All instruments below are available for in-lab or field use, with support from lab staff.  Please contact Briony Horgan (briony@purdue.edu) with requests for information, and fill out an application here. There is no cost associated with using PRECISE, but we prioritize projects already funded by or proposed to NASA.

Laboratory instrumentation:

  • Hyperspectral imaging, VNIR/SWIR: HySpex VNIR/SWIR pushbroom hyperspectral imager, 0.35-2.5 μm. Acquires image cubes in 546 spectral channels (3-4 nm spectral resolution) with a nominal 30/130 μm spatial resolution, and up to 14/32 μm with microscope accessories. See image below for example data products.
  • Diffuse reflectance/transmission, NIR/SWIR/Mid-IR: Bruker Invenio-S FTIR, 0.9-30 microns diffuse reflectance or transmission.
  • Environmentally controlled reflectance, NIR/SWIR/Mid-IR: Harrick Praying Mantis Diffuse Reflectance Reaction Chamber for use with FTIR, ambient with dry purge, temperatures -200 C (ambient P) to 910 C (under vacuum), pressures from vacuum (0.133 mPa) up to 15 bars (3.44 MPa, ambient T).
  • Spectrophotometer: ASD FieldSpecPro3 - Moderately portable reflectance spectrometer, visible/near-infrared, 350-2500 nm, fiber optic input with multiple accessories, including 2-4 mm nadir reflectance.
  • Hemispherical Reflectance: LabSphere custom integrating sphere for hemispherical reflectance of hand samples and powders with ASD FieldSpecPro3

Field instrumentation:

  • Thermal imaging: FLIR E75sc Advanced Thermal Infrared Camera - 320x240 resolution, acquires both thermal images and higher resolution visible images.
  • VNIR/SWIR point spectra: ASD QualitySpec Trek - Highly portable field reflectance spectrometer, visible/near-infrared, 350-2500 nm, cm spot size, contact measurements only. See image below for example use case.
  • Multispectral VNIR imaging: SpecimIQ VNIR hyperspectral camera - lightweight and portable VNIR hyperspectral (400-1000 nm, 7 nm spectral resolution) camera.

High res image and spectra from a lunar brecciaHigh res image and spectra of a granite hand sample

Example high-res images and spectra acquired using the HySpex Imaging Spectrometer, (left) VNIR data from a lunar breccia, and (right) SWIR data from an altered granite.

ASD Trek spectrometer in the wild, as wielded by PhD student Noel Scudder in the Collier glacial valley, OR.

ASD Trek spectrometer in the wild, as wielded by PhD student Noel Scudder in the Collier glacial valley, OR.


Teaching

I believe that no one should reinvent the wheel with teaching, and am happy to share all teaching materials with other faculty. Please email me for more information.

Current and recent courses include:

  • EAPS 556: Planetary Geology - Course intended to acquaint both planetary and non-planetary graduate students with the perse processes that shape and sculpt the surfaces of solid planetary bodies, from small asteroids and comets, to the inner solid planets like Earth, and to the satellites of gas giants like Jupiter. The course focuses on processes such as faulting, tectonics, volcanism, impact cratering, landslides, and weathering from wind, water, and ice. The class also includes two required one-day field trips to examine terrestrial analogs of planetary processes.
  • EAPS 577: Remote Sensing of the Planets - Mixed undergraduate/graduate course that introduces students to key planetary and Earth science satellite remote sensing datasets, including visible and thermal imagery, visible through mid-infrared spectroscopy, radar, gamma ray and neutron spectroscopy, and laser altimetry. Students get hands-on experience with data acquisition, image processing in IDL, spectral analysis in ENVI and Davinci, crater counting, and geologic mapping in GIS programs.
  • EAPS 590: Field Geology of North America - Week-long field course typically taught during spring break in collaboration with Prof. Ken Ridgway and other rotating EAPS faculty. The course aims to provide students with hands-on experience in field mapping, stratigraphy, surface processes, and ground truthing remote sensing data sets. Past locations include Death Valley, Arches/Canyonlands/Great Salt Lake, Big Bend, and Northern Arizona.
  • EAPS 205: Fundamentals of Planetary Science - A new core course for undergraduate planetary science majors. This course will give sophomore students hands-on experience (1) solving physics-based planetary problems, (2) scientific programming with Python, and (3) designing and implementing a research project, This course is intended to bridge between our intro courses, upper level planetary courses, and physics courses, and to prepare students for research experiences both within and outside of Purdue.
  • EAPS 105: The Planets - Introductory course for majors and non-majors. This course deals with the physical, chemical, and geological nature of the planets. We learn how we arrived at our current state of knowledge through the history of astronomy and the modern exploration of space. Similarities and differences between the Earth and other planets are described and discussed, placing our Earth in context with our general understanding of planets both inside and outside the solar system.

 

Memes we love