VNIR spectral analyses of powdered mixtures with ExoMars-Ma_Miss instrument

Ma_Miss (Mars Multispectral Imager for Subsurface Studies) experiment onboard of ExoMars 2018 mission to Mars will study the Martian subsurface down to a depth of 2 meters [1]. Ma_Miss is a miniaturized spectrometer, integrated within the drilling system of the ExoMars rover; it will perform visible and near infrared spectroscopy in the 0.4-2.2 μm range, acquiring signal from the excavated borehole wall. The spectroscopic characterization of the subsurface rocks will give us important information about mineralogy, petrology and geological processes; moreover it will give insights about materials that have not been altered by surface processes such as erosion, weathering or oxidation. Spectroscopic measurements have been performed on different types of rock/mineral mixtures with the Ma_Miss laboratory model (breadboard).