Mass Spectrometers
Mass spectrometers are analytical instruments that measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. In space and astronautical engineering, mass spectrometers are used to analyze the composition of planetary atmospheres, study the properties of plasmas, and monitor the quality of spacecraft materials. Mass spectrometers work by ionizing a sample, separating the resulting ions based on their mass-to-charge ratio, and detecting the ions to generate a mass spectrum. Different types of mass spectrometers include time-of-flight, quadrupole, and magnetic sector instruments. Mass spectrometry is a powerful tool for space exploration because it can provide information about the chemical and isotopic composition of samples with high sensitivity and specificity.
Your Previous Searches
Random Picks
- Ozone: Ozone is a molecule composed of three oxygen atoms. In the context of space and astronautical engineering, ozone plays a crucial role in the Earth's atmosphere as it absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Ozone is also present ... Read More >>
- In-orbit Operations: In-orbit operations refer to the activities and procedures that are carried out during the operational phase of a spacecraft or satellite mission, after it has been launched and has reached its intended orbit. These operations include monit ... Read More >>
- Organisms: In the context of space and astronautical engineering, organisms refer to any living entity that is sent to space or that is exposed to space conditions. This includes humans, animals, plants, and microorganisms. The study of organisms in s ... Read More >>
Top News
A former University of Iowa manager embezzled funds, an audit finds...
A new state audit in Iowa says the former manager of the machine shop at the University of Iowa’s Department of Physics and Astronomy deposited nearly $1 million that should have gone to the univers...
News Source: ABC News on 2024-09-04
NASA’s DART collision may result in the first human-made meteor shower...
Small, rocky debris created when NASA intentionally slammed a spacecraft into an asteroid could create a new meteor shower that may be visible from Earth or Mars....
News Source: CNN on 2024-08-31
Read an extract from Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower...
In the opening to Octavia E. Butler's prescient science fiction novel Parable of the Sower, the latest pick for the New Scientist Book Club, we are introduced to Lauren Olamina and start to learn abou...
News Source: New Scientist on 2024-08-30
Six mysterious rogue worlds spotted within cosmic cloud by Webb telescope...
Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to spot rogue worlds that don’t orbit stars within a cosmic cloud 960 light-years away....
News Source: CNN on 2024-08-27
Jaylen Brown's new song proves that he should probably stick to his day job...
I don't want to tell Jaylen Brown what to do. I also just don't want to hear him rap anymore....
News Source: USA Today on 2024-08-23