A Spectral Library of Emissivity Spectra for MERTIS on BepiColombo

Abstract

Spectroscopy is still the most accurate methodology to study the surface composition (and its evolution) of celestial bodies. For more than ten years the Planetary Emissivity Laboratory (PEL) of DLR in Berlin has provided spectral measurements of planetary analogues from the visible to the far-infrared range for comparison with remote sensing spacecraft/telescopic measurements of extraterrestrial surfaces [1-5]. Reflection, transmission and emission spectroscopy are the techniques we used to acquire spectral data of target materials. We have been continually upgrading our laboratory set-up by adding a new spectrometer, three external sources, new detectors and beamsplitters to further extend the spectral range of measurements that can be performed in the laboratory, as well as the temperature range that we can cover for the measurements. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the very wide range of capabilities that the Planetary Spectroscopy Laboratory (PSL) can offer the planetary community