Thermogravimetry: a technique for planetary in-situ missions

The thermogravimetry technique allows to study desorption and sublimation processes of volatile compounds in different environments. This technique shows a large range of applications for planetary in- situ mission, e.g. the measurement of water and organics in a planetary environment. The capability of a thermogravimeter to study water desorption from clay has been verified. Another experiment which can find application in a planetary mission concerns the measurement of enthalpy of sublimation of a particular volatile compound.