one of the fundamental aims of space mission is to understand the physical, chemical, and geologic processes and conditions of planetary formation and evolution. for this purpose, it is important to investigate analog material to correctly interpret the returned spacecraft data, including the spectral information from remote planetary surfaces. for example, mid-infrared spectroscopy provides detailed information on the mineralogical compositions of planetary surfaces via remote sensing. data is affected by numerous factors such as grain size, illumination geometry, space weathering, and temperature. these features need to be systematically investigated on analog material in terrestrial laboratories in order to understand the mineralogy/composition of a planetary surface. in addition, raman spectroscopy allows non-destructive analyses of planetary surfaces in the case of a landing mission.
our work at the iris (infrared spectroscopy for interplanetary studies) laboratory at the institut für planetologie produces spectra for a database of the esa/jaxa bepicolombo mission to mercury. onboard is a mid-infrared spectrometer (mertis-mercury radiometer and thermal infrared spectrometer). this unique instrument allows us to map spectral features in the 7-14 m range, with a spatial resolution of 500 m [1-5].