**5. The nano alpha-X instrument for MUSES-C mission**

In the year of 2000, NASA, with collaboration with Japanese JAXA, were getting ready for the MUSES-C mission to bring back to Earth a sample from an asteroid. On that mission, it was also proposed to study in-situ the surface characteristics of that asteroid with a nanorover populated with several analytical instruments, including an Alpha-X Spectrometer (AXS) [22] to obtain the chemical composition of the asteroid surface material. For that mission, a further miniaturization of the AXS was required to fit it inside the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's nanorover with the overall dimensions of 14x15x6 cm. A massive hybridization and elimination of the proton mode resulted in a miniaturized Alpha-X Spectrometer shown in Fig. 12 and with specifications listed in Table 3. The AXS, although drastically miniaturized, is a complete spectrometer capable of providing highly accurate analytical results, similar to other APXS instruments.

Fig. 12. A photograph of AXS laboratory instrument for MUSES-C mission.

In the year of 2000, NASA, with collaboration with Japanese JAXA, were getting ready for the MUSES-C mission to bring back to Earth a sample from an asteroid. On that mission, it was also proposed to study in-situ the surface characteristics of that asteroid with a nanorover populated with several analytical instruments, including an Alpha-X Spectrometer (AXS) [22] to obtain the chemical composition of the asteroid surface material. For that mission, a further miniaturization of the AXS was required to fit it inside the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's nanorover with the overall dimensions of 14x15x6 cm. A massive hybridization and elimination of the proton mode resulted in a miniaturized Alpha-X Spectrometer shown in Fig. 12 and with specifications listed in Table 3. The AXS, although drastically miniaturized, is a complete spectrometer capable of providing highly accurate

**5. The nano alpha-X instrument for MUSES-C mission** 

analytical results, similar to other APXS instruments.

Fig. 12. A photograph of AXS laboratory instrument for MUSES-C mission.


Table 3. Characteristics of the AXS instrument for MUSES-C mission.

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The MUSES-C mission suffered several long delays and NASA eventually cancelled its participation on this mission. The Japanese, however, went ahead with the mission that was renamed Hayabusa after the launch in 2003 and succeeded in bringing back a small amount of asteroid material from asteroid Itokawa in June, 2010. Despite the cancellation, the AXS was designed, built and fully flight qualified. It is now available for some potential future mission.
