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Spinoff story
Ruggedized Spectrometers Are Built for Tough Jobs
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
The Mars Curiosity Chemistry and Camera instrument, or ChemCam, analyzes the elemental composition of materials on the Red Planet by using a spectrometer to measure the wavelengths of light they emit. Principal investigator Roger Wiens worked with Ocean Optics, out of Dunedin, Florida, to rework the company_s spectrometer to operate in cold and rowdy conditions and also during the stresses of liftoff. Those improvements have been incorporated into the firm_s commercial product line.