Top Highlights
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NASA and USGS Collaboration: The Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx) is a major collaboration between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, utilizing advanced airborne sensors to detect critical minerals across 190,000 square miles of North America.
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Technology Advancements: The project employs cutting-edge imaging spectroscopy technology, allowing the detection of mineral molecular fingerprints through over 200 channels of light, far beyond the capabilities of standard cameras.
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Addressing Mineral Dependence: The initiative aims to identify domestic sources of 50 critical minerals, including lithium and rare earth elements, which are vital for national security and key industries like electronics and renewable energy.
- Future Prospects: Over 200 hours of GEMx flights are scheduled until fall 2025, with the data collected expected to enhance U.S. mineral mapping and support the shift towards reducing dependence on foreign mineral imports.
Meet Mineral Mappers Flying NASA Tech Out West
NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have a long history of mapping planets, dating back to the Apollo missions. Recently, they shifted their focus closer to home, aiming to find critical minerals needed for national security and economic growth.
In Cuprite, Nevada, a landscape covered in tan hills resembles Mars. However, these rocky outcrops are Earthly analogs and host rich deposits of essential minerals. For over a century, prospectors have flocked to this area, making it a perfect site for testing NASA’s advanced geological mapping technology.
Robert Green, a senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has calibrated various instruments here for decades. Currently, he leads a project designed to identify rocky surfaces in the American West that might contain valuable minerals. The U.S. currently relies on imports for 50 critical minerals, including lithium and rare earth elements used in batteries and medical devices.
Scientists from USGS are on the hunt for domestic sources, and NASA’s technology plays a crucial role. Equipped with high-altitude aircraft and specialized sensors, they can detect mineral fingerprints across vast areas invisible to the naked eye.
This collaboration is known as GEMx, the Geological Earth Mapping Experiment. Since its launch in 2023, GEMx has mapped over 190,000 square miles of North American soil, marking one of the largest airborne mineral surveys in U.S. history.
While NASA’s aircraft soar above at altitudes of 60,000 feet, geophysicist Todd Hoefen and his team work below, collecting rock samples. These samples are vital for verifying that data collected from the air accurately represents what is found on the ground.
GEMx combines decades of knowledge from NASA and USGS. Their partnership dates back to the early 1960s, informing safe lunar landings for the Apollo missions. Even today, astronauts prepare for missions by training alongside USGS geologists.
To detect minerals, scientists employ imaging spectroscopy, a groundbreaking technology pioneered at JPL in the 1980s. One of its main instruments, AVIRIS-Classic, resembles a minifridge and is crucial for the GEMx project. It measures light reflecting off surfaces, allowing scientists to identify different minerals based on their unique "fingerprints."
Unlike standard cameras, which capture only three color channels, imaging spectrometers can analyze over 200 channels, including infrared. Such technology has already contributed to discoveries on moons like Titan and Pluto, and a JPL instrument is on its way to Jupiter’s moon Europa to search for life-sustaining chemicals.
Looking forward, more than 200 hours of GEMx flights are planned through fall 2025. These high-altitude flights will collect essential data, leading to the development of detailed mineral maps. An ER-2 research aircraft will conduct these missions, piloted by Dean Neeley, who dons a spacesuit while flying solo at lofty heights.
During these flights, AVIRIS-Classic will continue to operate, though it will soon retire after over three decades. Its successor, AVIRIS-5, will take to the skies in 2025, significantly enhancing performance by covering both 30-foot and 1-foot sampling areas.
The GEMx project, funded by the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, aims to revolutionize mineral mapping. It leverages NASA’s innovative spectroscopic imaging technology and expertise to extract crucial mineral information. This initiative stands as a testament to how investments in space technology can facilitate advancements with practical benefits on Earth. Data collected from these efforts will be accessible to stakeholders and researchers alike, reinforcing the importance of innovative partnerships in science and technology.
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