An illustration of the two LIMS instruments used to analyze rock samples from the JC. Panel (A): a laboratory-scale LMS-GT instrument, featuring an ion flight path of ∼4 m. Panel (B): a space-prototype LMS instrument, with a more compact ion flight path of ∼0.3 m. Both systems are equipped with a UV femtosecond laser, illustrated as a violet beam focused onto the sample surface, which ablates and ionizes the material. The red-dotted lines trace the ion trajectories through the instruments. Ions with the same m/z ratio but slightly different kinetic energies travel different distances into the ion mirror: those with higher kinetic energy travel farther and take longer to return, which ultimately enhances mass resolution. For detailed instrument specifications, refer to Table A1.