MICA / ISRA / ISGA
Prototype "up close and personal" with unprepared sample (Rock)
The Mineral Identification & Composition Analyzer (MICA) is a triple threat measurement system. It combines X-Ray Diffraction, X-Ray Fluorescence, and “micro”-Imaging capability in a compact package, a complete laboratory in miniature. Our X-Ray instrument provides these analyses without the need for sample handling and preparation typical of traditional X-Ray analysis devices. MICA was originally for application on Mars Planetary Missions. Other “application specific” variants of MICA have come along as a result, the In-Situ Resource Analyzer (ISRA) and the In-Situ Geologic Analyzer (ISGA). ISRA was developed with an eye toward In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) concepts while, as the name implies, ISGA has the “geologist” in mind.
Prototype in testing at NASA/AMES (K-9 Rover)