Abstract: The Toolbox for Research and Exploration (TREX) is a NASA SSERVI (Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute) node. TREX (trex.psi.edu) aims to decrease risk to future missions, specifically to the Moon, the Martian moons, and near- Earth asteroids, by improving mission success and assuring the safety of astronauts, their instruments, and spacecraft. TREX studies will focus on characteristics of the fine grains that cover the surfaces of these target bodies – their spectral character…