Glow discharge mass spectrometry (GD-MS) is recognised as one of the ultimate techniques for the characterisation of conductive and non-conductive materials. It is capable of quantifying virtually all elements from lithium to uranium, and from matrix to sub part-per-billion. The Astrum from Nu Instruments combines a glow discharge ion source with a high resolution mass spectrometer and is a major step forward in GD-MS, from the cryo-cooled tantalum source/cell and rapid sample changeover system through to the bespoke control software. The durable construction of the instrument and proven source design give maximum uptime with minimal intervention.