The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 18, 2007
Filed:
Sep. 14, 2005
Mau-song Chou, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (US);
Jonathan W. Arenberg, Santa Monica, CA (US);
Andy Christensen, Fountain Valley, CA (US);
Luke Sollitt, Pasadena, CA (US);
Mau-Song Chou, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (US);
Jonathan W. Arenberg, Santa Monica, CA (US);
Andy Christensen, Fountain Valley, CA (US);
Luke Sollitt, Pasadena, CA (US);
Northrop Grumman Corporation, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
A method for remote analysis of materials embedded in a frozen surface, such as in the icy surface of a planetary body. A laser on board a spacecraft irradiates the frozen surface and thereby releases materials in a gas cloud, by a process of desorption. The laser wavelength is selected to maximize the release of substances by the desorption process, which does not fragment materials into their elemental components. An infrared (IR) spectrometer on the spacecraft detects thermal emissions from the gas cloud against a background provided by the frozen surface, and can readily identify a variety of organic, inorganic and biological materials from their thermal spectra.