Patent classifications
G01V5/234
NEUTRON DETECTION SYSTEM
Disclosed is a He-3 detector arrangement that generally comprises a neutron shield interposed between a thermal neutron source and thermal neutron detectors all resting on a metal platform. In operation, thermal neutrons from the thermal neutron source are emitted when the He-3 detector arrangement is on or near the ground. Some of the thermal neutrons from the neutron source backscatter from the regolith to the neutron detector where a baseline count level is registered. When He-3 is present in the regolith, some of the thermal neutrons are absorbed by the He-3, which reduces the detected count rate. When integrated with a rover, the He-3 detector is moved from place to place with the count rates at each location compared. In this manner, higher and lower levels of He-3 in the regolith can be mapped indicating target regions for mining the He-3.
GENERATION OF FUSED ENVIRONMENTAL AND COMPOSITIONAL INFORMATION
A compositional visualization system comprises a sensor to collect contextual information, a particle generator to generate a first stream of one or more types of particles, and a detector to receive a second stream of one or more detectable products. The second stream is generated by interaction of the first stream with the environment. The system further comprises computer-executable instructions to cause the system to transform the received second stream into compositional data, and merge the compositional data with the contextual information to generate a merged digital representation. The merged digital representation can be displayed at one or more devices and can also be used directly to drive autonomous robotic systems.