MEMORIS: a wide angle camera for the BepiColombo mission

MEMORIS (MErcury Moderate Resolution Imaging System) is a wide angle camera (WAC) concept for the ESA mission BepiColombo. The main scientific objectives consist of observing the whole surface of Mercury in the spectral range of 400–1000 nm, with a spatial resolution of 50 m per pixel at peri-Herm (400 km) and 190 m at apo-Herm (1500 km). It will obtain a map of Mercury in stereo mode allowing the determination of a digital elevation model with a panchromatic filter through two different channels. The camera will also perform multispectral imaging of the surface with a set of 8–12 different broad band filters. A third channel dedicated to limb observations will provide images of the atmosphere. MEMORIS will thus monitor the surface and the atmosphere during the entire mission, providing a unique opportunity to study the relationship between surface regions and the atmosphere, as suggested by ground-based observations and theory.     

多谱段全日面极紫外成像仪

在极紫外波段对太阳进行成像观测是研究太阳活动、日冕中等离子体物理特性的重要手段.传统极紫外成像仪或光谱仪无法同时实现高光谱分辨率和大视场的太阳成像.本文设计了一种新型太阳极紫外多谱段成像系统,采用无狭缝光栅分光方式实现了高光谱分辨率和空间分辨率的全日面成像,成像视场可达47',光谱分辨率每像素2×10-3 nm,空间分辨率每像素1.4',全日面时间分辨率优于60s.通过分析谱线的全日面成像图和系统响应,表明成像仪能大范围的观测太阳活动形态演化,为太阳物理研究和空间天气预报提供更完整的观测数据.      

Solar maximum mission experiment: Ultraviolet spectroscopy and polarimetry on the solar maximum mission

We describe the Ultraviolet Spectrometer and Polarimeter (UVSP) on the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) spacecraft. The instrument, which operates in the wavelength range 1150 – 3600 Å, has a spatial resolution of 2–3 arc sec and a spectral resolution of 0.02 Å FWHM in second order. A Gregorian telescope, focal length 1.8 m, feeds a 1 m Ebert-Fastie spectrometer. A polarimeter comprising rotating Mg F₂ waveplates can be inserted behind the spectrometer entrance slit and allows all four Stokes parameters to be determined. The observing modes include rasters, spectral scans, velocity measurements, and polarimetry. Finally, we present examples of initial observations made since launch.     

Numerical simulations of the radiance from the comet 46P/Wirtanen in the various configurations of the measurements during “Rosetta” mission

The work we present deals with the spectrometric measurements of VIRTIS instrument of the Comet P/Wirtanen planned for the Rosetta mission. This spectrometer can monitor (VIRTIS M channel: 0.250μm – 0.980μm; Δκ=20cm⁻¹; 0.980 – 5.0 μm; Δκ = 5cm⁻¹; VIRTIS H channel: 2.0 μm – 5.0 μm; Δκ=2cm⁻¹) the nucleus and the coma in order to provide a general picture of coma's composition, the production of gas and dust, the relationship of coma production to surface composition and the structure and variation of mineralogy of the nucleus surface. During the mission the observation conditions of the spectroscopic investigation change due to different relative positions spacecraft/comet, and to the different illumination conditions of the surface at various distances of the comet to the Sun. The nucleus surface is continuously modified by the ice sublimation accompanied by gas and dust emission. Consequently the surface also its spectrophotometric properties changes and their monitoring can give a new insight. The important role of simulations is to predict the results of measurements in various experimental condition what, in the future, can help in interpretation of the measured data.

In this paper the first results of our simulation the radiance from the comet in the 0.25–5.0μm spectral range at two distances from the Sun (1AU and 3AU) are shown. The distance between the Rosetta orbiter and the nucleus surface as well as the sun zenith angles are taken into account according to the Rosetta mission phases. In fact the surface and coma properties vary along the comet orbit, and should be taken into account in our calculations. The optical parameters of the dust on the surface (e.g. reflectance) and in the coma (e.g. Q_ext) were calculated from optical constants of possible comet analogues. The thermodynamic parameters of the comet are taken from the models of comet evolution. Through this kind of modelling it is possible to identify the surface characteristics in spectra of the radiation from the surface of nucleus transmitted through the coma loaded with dust and gases.

Even if the “Rosetta mission” is postponed, with the consequence of a target change, we think that our idea and the method used for the simulations can be useful also for the new Rosetta target - the comet 67P/Churyumov Gerasimenko.     

Development of an extreme ultraviolet imaging spectrometer for the BepiColombo mission

Extreme and far ultraviolet imaging spectrometers are proposed for the low-altitude orbiter of the BepiColombo mission. The UV instrument, consisting of the two spectrometers with common electronics, aims at measuring (1) emission lines from molecules, atoms and ions present in the Mercury’s tenuous atmosphere and (2) the reflectance spectrum of Mercury’s surface. The instrument pursues a complete coverage in UV spectroscopy. The extreme UV spectrometer covers the spectral range of 30–150 nm with the field of view of 5.0°, and the spectrum from 130 to 430 nm is obtained by the far UV spectrometer. The extreme UV spectrometer employs multi-layer coating technology to enhance its sensitivity at particular emission lines. This technology enables us to identify small ionospheric signatures such as He II (30.4 nm) and Na II (37.2 nm), which could not be detected with conventional optics.     

Vega project — Three channel spectrophotometer for the Halley''s comet investigation

A spectrometer for the Halley's Comet Investigation after the VEGA Project is described in the present work. It consists of a telescope and three spectral channels: UV (120 – 290 nm), resolution Δ λ / λ = 170; VIS (280 – 710 nm), resolution Δ λ / λ = 170; IR (950 – 1900 nm), resolution Δ λ / λ = 70.

With the help of two-coordinate scanner, the secondary mirror of the telescope allows spatial scanning of the Comet with a frame 2°×1,5° with 105 different pixels.     

Solar physics and interferometry mission (SPI)

This paper presents the scientific objectives of the Solar Physics and Interferometry Mission (SPI), describes succinctly the model payload and summarizes mission's issues. Novel instrumentation (interferometry) and clever mission design (small platform on low orbit with high telemetry and dedicated smaller platform on hexapod for permanently Sun-centered instruments) allow both spectral imaging and Helioseismology at very high spatial and temporal resolutions. Although not retained by ESA, this mission could become reality through NASA MIDEX and/or CNES PROTEUS opportunities as soon as 2007–2008.     

ASTEX: An in situ exploration mission to two near-Earth asteroids

ASTEX (ASTeroid EXplorer) is a concept study of an in situ exploration mission to two Near-Earth-Asteroids (NEAs), which consists of an orbiting element and two individual lander units. The target candidates have different mineralogical compositions, i.e. one asteroid is chosen to be of “primitive’’ nature, the other to be a fragment of a differentiated asteroid. The main scientific goals of the ASTEX mission are the exploration of the physical, geological, and mineralogical nature of the NEAs. The higher level goal is the provision of information and constraints on the formation and evolution of our planetary system. The study identified realistic mission scenarios, defined the strawman payload as well as the requirements and options for the spacecraft bus including the propulsion system, the landers, the launcher, and assessed and defined the requirements for the mission’s operational ground segment.     

A neutral gas mass spectrometer to measure the chemical composition of the stratosphere

The Polar Balloon Atmospheric Composition Experiment (P-BACE) is a new generation of neutral gas mass spectrometer based on the time-of-flight principle. P-BACE is the scientific experiment on the Mars Environment Analog Platform (MEAP) flown successfully on a balloon mission in summer 2008. The MEAP mission was flown with a 334,000 m³ helium balloon in the stratosphere on a semicircular trajectory from northern Sweden around the North Pole to Canada using the summer northern hemispheric wind current. The atmospheric conditions at an atmospheric altitude of 35–40 km are remarkably similar to those on the surface of Mars and thus the balloon mission was an ideal testbed for our mass spectrometer P-BACE. Originally this instrument was designed for in situ measurements of the chemical composition of the Martian atmosphere.P-BACE has a unique mass range from 0 to 1000 amu/q with a mass resolution m/Δm (FWHM) > 1000, and the dynamic range is at least six orders of magnitude. During this experiment, the acquisition of one mass spectrum is a sum of 65,535 single spectra, recorded in a time frame of 66 s.The balloon mission lasted 5 days and had successfully demonstrated the functionality of the P-BACE instrument during flight conditions. We had recorded more than 4500 mass spectra. With little modifications, P-BACE can be used on a planetary mission for Mars, but for example also for Venus or Mercury, if placed on a satellite.     

“嫦娥4号”任务有效载荷系统设计与实现

"嫦娥4号"任务将首次实现人类在月球背面软着陆。通过分析任务特点,以多类型有效载荷配置为背景,介绍了以科学目标和探测任务为核心的有效载荷系统设计思路和实现方法。同时针对首次在深空探测领域搭载国际合作有效载荷项目情况进行了说明。"嫦娥4号"任务最重要的科学目标是利用月球背面洁净的电磁环境进行天文低频射电观测,因此分别在着陆器和中继星上新增配置了国内新研制的低频射电频谱仪及荷兰研制的低频探测仪。科学探测的太阳爆发产生的低频电场信号极其微弱,如何消除着陆器和中继星上其他电子设备发射的近场噪声对远场探测信号的干扰就成了本次任务的最大难点。在相关研制单位的多方努力下,通过优化接收天线设计和地面数据处理算法等多种手段,实现了低频探测信号不低于30 d B的噪声抑制性能,具备了实现科学目标的能力。     

The BepiColombo/MMO model payload and operation plan

The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) of Japan plans to contribute the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) to the BepiColombo program, the ESA Cornerstone mission to the planet Mercury. The principal objective of the MMO is to study the magnetic field and magnetosphere of Mercury. The ISAS Mercury exploration working group has performed the definition study of the MMO mission in cooperation with the ESA/ESTEC BepiColombo project team. This paper briefly reviews the scientific objectives, and describes the model payload and its operation plan.     

利用CRISM数据探测火星表面含水矿物及其演化

火星表层矿物识别是了解火星大气环境变化、表层地质环境的关键因素。通过确定火星表层矿物,分析矿物特性,了解火星的环境状态、地质演化以及火星的未来适居性。火星勘测轨道器(Mars reconnaissance orbiter,MRO)上搭载的紧凑型侦察成像仪(compact reconnaissance imaging spectrometer for Mars,CRISM)是针对火星矿物探测的最新的高光谱成像仪,以很高的光谱分辨率覆盖可见光至近红外波段,为火星表面的矿物分布及区域填图提供了可能。通过光谱匹配及计算CRISM光谱参数综合产品,分析了火星Jezero以及Holden撞击坑内的矿物成分及其演化。Jezero与Holden因其复杂而关键的地质特征,被列为火星2020登陆任务的备选登陆点。对这两个地点的矿物探测与填图分析不仅可进一步分析火星典型地质特征以及演化,而且还可以为未来的火星登陆点分析提供现实意义。在研究区域已检测到与水成蚀变相关的含水硅酸盐类以及碳酸盐类与含水硫酸盐类。水合矿物增加了这些区域曾经含水的可能性,且矿物的多样性表明研究区地质环境经历了不同的变化,其中Jezero地区不同于火星的绝大多数地区从中性环境到酸性环境的演化,有可能经历了从中性环境到碱性环境的演化。     

Future X-ray astronomy missions of Japan

Japanese future space programs for high energy astrophysics are presented. The Astro-E2 mission which is the recovery mission of the lost Astro-E has been approved and now scheduled to be put in orbit in early 2005. The design of the whole spacecraft remains the same as that of Astro-E, except for some improvements in the scientific instruments. In spite of the five years of delay, Astro-E2 is still powerful and timely X-ray mission, because of the high energy resolution spectroscopy (FWHM 6 eV in 0.3–10 keV) and high-sensitivity wide-band spectroscopy (0.3–600 keV). The NeXT (New X-ray Telescope) mission, which we propose to have around 2010, succeeds and extends the science which Astro-E2 will open. It will carry five or six sets of X-ray telescopes which utilize super-mirror technology to enable hard X-ray imaging up to 60–80 keV. In mid-2010s, we would participate in the European XEUS mission, which explores the early (z>5) “hot” universe.     

SMESE: A SMall Explorer for Solar Eruptions

The SMall Explorer for Solar Eruptions (SMESE) mission is a microsatellite proposed by France and China. The payload of SMESE consists of three packages: LYOT (a Lyman imager and a Lyman coronagraph), DESIR (an Infra-Red Telescope working at 35–80 and 100–250 μm), and HEBS (a High-Energy Burst Spectrometer working in X- and γ-rays).

The status of research on flares and coronal mass ejections is briefly reviewed in the context of on-going missions such as SOHO, TRACE and RHESSI. The scientific objectives and the profile of the mission are described. With a launch around 2012–2013, SMESE will provide a unique tool for detecting and understanding eruptions (flares and coronal mass ejections) close to the maximum phase of activity.     

MIRAX: a Brazilian X-ray astronomy satellite mission

We describe the “Monitor e Imageador de Raios-X” (MIRAX), an X-ray astronomy satellite mission proposed by the high-energy astrophysics group at the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in Brazil to the Brazilian Space Agency. MIRAX is an international collaboration that includes, besides INPE, the University of California San Diego, the University of Tübingen in Germany, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Space Research Organization Netherlands. The payload of MIRAX will consist of two identical hard X-ray cameras (10–200 keV) and one soft X-ray camera (2–28 keV), both with angular resolution of 5–7^′. The basic objective of MIRAX is to carry out continuous broadband imaging spectroscopy observations of a large source sample (9 months/yr) in the central Galactic plane region. This will allow the detection, localization, possible identification, and spectral/temporal study of the entire history of transient phenomena to be carried out in one single mission. MIRAX will have sensitivities of 5 mCrab/day in the 2–10 keV band (2 times better than the All Sky Monitor on Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer) and 2.6 mCrab/day in the 10–100 keV band (40 times better than the Earth Occultation technique of the Burst and Transient Source Experiment on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory). The MIRAX spacecraft will weigh about 200 kg and is expected to be launched in a low-altitude (600 km) circular equatorial orbit around 2007/2008.     

Preliminary Scientific Results of Chang'E-1 Lunar Orbiter: Based on Payloads Detection Data in the First Phase

Chang'E-1 lunar Orbiter was launched by Long March 3A rocket from Xichang Satel-lite Launch Center at 18:05BT(Beijing Time) Oct.24,2007.It is the first step of its ambitious three-stage moon program,a new milestone in the Chinese space exploration history.The primary science objectives of Chang'E-1 lunar orbiter are to obtain three-Dimension(3D) stereo images of the lunar surface,to analyze the distribution and abundance of elements on the surface,to investigate the thickness of lunar soil,evaluate helium-3 resources and other characteristics,and to detect the space environment around the moon.To achieve the above four mission objectives,eight sets of scientific instruments are chosen as the payloads of the lunar orbiter,including a CCD stereo camera(CCD),a Sagnac-based interferometer spectrometer(ⅡM),a Laser Altimeter(LAM),a Microwave Radiometer(MRM),a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer(GRS),an X-ray spectrometer(XRS),a High-Energy Particle Detector(HPD),and two Solar Wind Ion Detectors(SWID).The detected data of the payloads show that all payloads work well.This paper introduces the status of payloads in the first phase and preliminary scientific results.     

Determination of an instantaneous Laplace plane for Mercury’s rotation

Mercury is the target of two space missions: MESSENGER, which carried out its first and second flybys of Mercury on January 14, 2008 and October 6, 2008, and the ESA/JAXA space mission BepiColombo, scheduled to arrive at Mercury in 2020. The preparation of these missions requires a good knowledge of the rotation of Mercury.     

Planetary protection program for Mars 94/96 mission.

Mars surface in-situ exploration started in 1975 with the American VIKING mission. Two probes landed on the northern hemisphere and provided, for the first time, detailed information on the martian terrain, atmosphere and meteorology. The current goal is to undertake larger surface investigations and many projects are being planned by the major Space Agencies with this objective. Among these projects, the Mars 94/96 mission will make a major contributor toward generating significant information about the martian surface on a large scale. Since the beginning of the Solar System exploration, planets where life could exist have been subject to planetary protection requirements. Those requirements accord with the COSPAR Policy and have two main goals: the protection of the planetary environment from influence or contamination by terrestrial microorganisms, the protection of life science, and particularly of life detection experiments searching extra-terrestrial life, and not life carried by probes and spacecrafts. As the conditions for life and survival for terrestrial microorganisms in the Mars environment became known, COSPAR recommendations were updated. This paper will describe the decontamination requirements which will be applied for the MARS 94/96 mission, the techniques and the procedures which are and will be used to realize and control the decontamination of probes and spacecrafts.     

Solar UV irradiance variation during cycles 22 and 23

The Solar Ultraviolet Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SUSIM) aboard the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) has been measuring solar UV irradiances since October 1991, a period which includes the decline of solar cycle 22 followed by the rise of cycle 23. Daily solar measurements include scans over the wavelength range 115–410 nm at 1.1 nm resolution. As expected, the measured time series of UV irradiances exhibit strong periodicities in solar cycle and solar rotation. For all wavelengths, the UV irradiance time series are similar to that of the Mg II core-to-wing ratio. During solar cycle 22, the irradiance of the strong Ly- line varied by more than a factor of two. The peak-to-peak irradiance variation declined with increasing wavelength, reaching 10% just below the Al edge at 208 nm. Between the Al edge and 250 nm the variation was 6–7%. Above 250 nm, the variation declines further until none is observed above 290 nm. Preliminary results for the first portion of cycle 23 indicate that the far UV below the Al edge is rising at about the same rate as the Mg II index while the irradiances in the Ly- emission line and for wavelengths longer than the Al edge are rising more slowly — even after accounting for the lower level of activity of cycle 23.     

Results of solar observations by the CORONAS-F payload

The CORONAS-F mission experiments and results have been reviewed. The observations with the DIFOS multi-channel photometer in a broad spectral range from 350 to 1500 nm have revealed the dependence of the relative amplitudes of p-modes of the global solar oscillations on the wavelength that agrees perfectly well with the earlier data obtained in a narrower spectral ranges. The SPIRIT EUV observations have enabled the study of various manifestations of solar activity and high-temperature events on the Sun. The data from the X-ray spectrometer RESIK, gamma spectrometer HELICON, flare spectrometer IRIS, amplitude–temporal spectrometer AVS-F, and X-ray spectrometer RPS-1 have been used to analyze the X- and gamma-ray emission from solar flares and for diagnostics of the flaring plasma. The absolute and relative content of various elements (such as potassium, argon, and sulfur) of solar plasma in flares has been determined for the first time with the X-ray spectrometer RESIK. The Solar Cosmic Ray Complex monitored the solar flare effects in the Earth’s environment. The UV emission variations recorded during solar flares in the vicinity of the 120-nm wavelength have been analyzed and the amplitude of relative variations has been determined.