Introduction to Space Optics in France

Abstract

When using artificial satellites to discover more about the outside world, optics have a very special, fundamental role to play. Whether observing the Earth in detail, including its vegetation and atmosphere or detecting pollution, analysing the chemical composition of stars or galaxies, measuring angular deviations or the velocity of celestial objects, the natural option is to use visible, ultraviolet or infrared instrumentation in order to extend our knowledge.Since its creation in the sixties, the French Space Agency CNES, just like other space agencies, has been heavily involved in observation projects and those aiming to physically characterize natural, terrestrial, planetary, stellar or galactic phenomena. At first fairly straightforward, experiments quickly benefitted from the huge advances made in technology, making it possible to construct and send into space veritable observatories stable in both attitude and temperature. Such observatories are also equipped with computing facilities and a transmission downlink capability.After the first scientific experiments, more ambitious space astronomy projects such as D2B were given the go-ahead by CNES. This satellite flew five experiments investigating solar and stellar radiation in the far ultraviolet: spectral analysis and photometry of stars located around the ecliptic, study of solar activity and determination of atmospheric absorption. Photometers and spectrometers working in the visible or far ultraviolet were orbited for this purpose (with a O819415138"94'$6.00 SPIE Vol. 2209 / 1 Downloaded From: http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/ on 06/23/2016 Terms of Use: http://spiedigitallibrary.org/ss/TermsOfUse.aspx SPIE Vol. 2209 / 7 Downloaded From: http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/ on 06/23/2016 Terms of Use: http://spiedigitallibrary.org/ss/TermsOfUse.aspx