Polychromix Partners with NASA in Development of Lunar Spectroscopy Solution.

By: Yariv Gellar
Contact: Ashley Lojko
Polychromix, Inc.
30 Upton Drive
Wilmington, MA 01887
P: 978-284-6019
F: 978-284-6060
alojko@polychromix.com
www.polychromix.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WILMINGTON, Mass.-October 30th, 2006-Polychromix, Inc., a leading developer of innovative spectroscopy solutions, today announced a collaboration agreement with NASA to provide Digital Transform Spectrometers (DTS™) tools for determining water content on the surface of the moon.

Under the agreement, NASA will outfit the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) with Polychromix near-infrared spectrometers. NASA chose Polychromix’s technology because of its unique combination of low power consumption, small size, low weight, robust design, lack of moving parts, and high reliability – all essential features for mission-critical measurements. The Polychromix near-infrared spectrometer will be included in the research vehicle to identify the presence of water ice at the moon's south pole. The LCROSS mission (see http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/) will send a 2000-kg impactor smashing into a permanently shadowed crater on the moon’s south pole, ejecting a plume of lunar surface material that will be analyzed from lunar orbit by two Polychromix spectrometers, as well as several other instruments and cameras, aboard the LCROSS Shepherding Spacecraft.

To answer an intensely debated question in the astrophysics community, the key goal of NASA's LCROSS mission is to determine the presence or absence of lunar ice in one of the moon’s coldest locations, a permanently shadowed crater near the south pole. If present at sufficient concentrations, ice could be used in future long-term lunar missions for everything from rocket fuel raw material to human life support. The LCROSS mission, including Polychromix’s technology, will help resolve any ambiguities in recent measurements suggesting the presence of lunar ice.


“We are honored that NASA selected Polychromix’s DTS™ technology for this exciting endeavor,” said Dan Klevisha, Vice President of infrared Systems at Polychromix. “Our selection for the mission is a testimonial to the breakthrough technology provided by DTS™ and our commitment to building quality products.”

ABOUT POLYCHROMIX
Polychromix is a leader in miniature and portable analysis tools. The company’s innovative products enable the migration of traditional laboratory-based instrumentation from the lab to the point of need for fast, accurate, non-destructive material analysis. Additional information about Polychromix is available at www.polychromix.com.


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