To Robert Green, light contains more than meets the eye: It
contains fingerprints of materials that can be detected by sensors that capture
the unique set of reflected wavelengths. Scientists have used the technique,
called imaging spectroscopy, to learn about water on the moon, minerals on Mars
and the composition of exoplanets. Green's favorite place to apply the
technique, however, is right here on the chemically rich Earth, which is just
what he and colleagues achieved this spring during NASA's Hyperspectral
Infrared Imager (HyspIRI) airborne campaign.