Changes: Ranger 5

Revision as of 03:37, 23 December 2007

A gamma ray spectrometer is an instrument that analyzes gamma rays to determine the abundance and distribution of radioactive elements, usually on the surface of a planet. Since the radioactive isotopes of many elements normally make up a certain set percentage of the nonradioactive isotope, these readings can be used to infer the amount of the ordinary elements present. The instrument is therefore useful to determine the state of about twenty elements on the periodic table including silicon, oxygen, iron, magnesium, potassium, aluminum, calcium, sulfur, and carbon.

A gamma ray spectrometer was among the tools included on the United States space probe, Ranger 3. The spectrometer was labeled in a diagram of the Ranger 3 probe stored in the USS Enterprise's library computer, which was among the materials viewed by the Talosians in 2254. (TOS: "The Cage")

Incidentally, the Ranger 3 mission was fraught with malfunctions from start to end. Almost nothing went according to plan. The information gathered by the gamma ray spectrometer was just about the only useful stuff that the mission produced. Scientists noted that the amount of gamma radiation between Earth and Mars was much higher than expected.

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-A gamma ray specrometer is an instrument that analyzes gamma rays to determine the abundance and distribution of radioactive elements usually on the surface of a planet.  Since the radioactive isotopes of many elements normally make up a certain set percentage of the nonradioactive isotope, these readings can be used to infer the amount of the ordinary elements present.  The instrument is therefore useful to determine the state of about 20 elements on the periodic table including silicon, oxygen, iron, magnesium, potassium, aluminum, calcium, sulfer, and carbon.  A gamma ray spectometer is one of the things you will notice if you study the images that the Talosians were running when they were gathering information from the Enterprise's library computer in "The Cage".  A caption was shown as part of an image of the Ranger 3 space probe which indicated where the gamma ray spectrometer should be on the probe (it was at the end of a 1.8m boom).  Incidentally it is to be noted that the Ranger 3 mission was frought with malfunctions from start to end, almost nothing went according to plan.  In fact, the information gathered by the gamma ray spectrometer was just about the only useful stuff that the mission produced.  Scientists noted that the amount of gamma radiation between Earth and Mars was much higher than expected.
+A '''gamma ray spectrometer''' is an instrument that analyzes [[gamma ray]]s to determine the abundance and distribution of [[radiation|radioactive]] [[element]]s, usually on the surface of a [[planet]]. Since the radioactive [[isotope]]s of many elements normally make up a certain set percentage of the nonradioactive isotope, these readings can be used to infer the amount of the ordinary elements present. The instrument is therefore useful to determine the state of about twenty elements on the [[periodic table]] including [[silicon]], [[oxygen]], [[iron]], [[magnesium]], [[potassium]], [[aluminum]], [[calcium]], [[sulfur]], and [[carbon]].
+A [[gamma ray spectrometer]] was among the tools included on the [[United States]] [[space]] [[probe]], ''[[Ranger 3]]''. The spectrometer was labeled in a diagram of the Ranger 3 probe stored in the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}}'s [[library computer]], which was among the materials viewed by the [[Talosian]]s in [[2254]]. ({{TOS|The Cage}})
+:''Incidentally, the Ranger 3 mission was fraught with malfunctions from start to end. Almost nothing went according to plan. The information gathered by the gamma ray spectrometer was just about the only useful stuff that the mission produced. Scientists noted that the amount of gamma radiation between Earth and Mars was much higher than expected.''
+[[Category:Tools]]