Three infrared spectrometers, an atmospheric chemistry suite for the ExoMars 2016 trace gas orbiter

Abstract

International audienceThe atmospheric chemistry suite (ACS) package is a part of the Russian contribution to the ExoMars ESA-Roscosmos mission. ACS consists of three separate infrared spectrometers, sharing common mechanical, electrical, and thermal interfaces. The near-infrared (NIR) channel is a versatile spectrometer for the spectral range of 0.7-1.6 μm with a resolving power of ∼20,000. The instrument employs the principle of an echelle spectrometer with an acousto-optical tunable filter (AOTF) as a preselector. NIR will be operated in nadir, in solar occultations, and possibly on the limb. Scientific targets of NIR are the measurements of water vapor, aerosols, and dayside or nightside airglows. The mid-infrared (MIR) channel is a cross-dispersion echelle instrument dedicated to solar occultation measurements in the range of 2.2-4.4 μm targeting the resolving power of 50,000. MIR is dedicated to sensitive measurements of trace gases. The thermal infrared channel (TIRVIM) is a 2-inch double pendulum Fourier-transform spectrometer for the spectral range of 1.7-17 μm with apodized resolution varying from 0.2 to 1.6 cm−1. TIRVIM is primarily dedicated to the monitoring of atmospheric temperatures and aerosol states in nadir. The present paper describes the concept of the instrument, and in more detail, the optical design and the expected parameters of its three parts channel by channel

Retrieval of wind, temperature, water vapor and other trace constituents in the Martian Atmosphere

“…We now have longduration, global-scale aerosol column and profile measurements, temperature profile measurements, aerosol and cloud imagery, daytime water vapor column, and measurements of some trace gases such as ozone, oxygen, and H 2 O 2 (e.g., Smith et al, , 2009Malin et al, 2008;Kleinböhl et al, 2009;Clancy et al, 2016;Hartogh et al, 2010b;Encrenaz et al, 2012. Additionally, the Exo-Mars Trace Gas Orbiter (Korablev et al, 2014;Robert et al, 2016) will measure profiles of the abundance of many key trace gases at certain locations via solar occultation, and the Mars Atmosphere and Evolution Mission (MAVEN, Jakosky et al, 2015) is studying ozone, and the upper atmosphere and its interaction with the space environment. While existing and upcoming datasets are rich and our understanding of the Martian weather and climate has improved greatly in recent years, direct measurements of winds and vertical profiles of water vapor are key outstanding measurement needs.…”

Geoscience for Understanding Habitability in the Solar System and Beyond

“…How organism would respond to such conditions can be measured in laboratory experiments designed to simulate planetary (and asteroid surface) conditions. The Trace Gas Orbiter (Korablev et al, 2014) (part of the ongoing ExoMars mission) will deliver groundbreaking data on the evolution, composition and climate of Mars' atmosphere.…”

Total reflection optical design of AOTF imaging spectrometer

“…Most early optical designs of the AOTF imaging spectrometer were based on refractive systems. For example, the SPICAM infrared spectrometer (spectral band 1.0-1.7 μm) aboard the Mars Express [7] , an AOTF spectrometer (UV and 320-580 nm) developed by NAL [8] , SPICAV IR (0.65-1.7 mm) spectrometer, a part of SPICAV/SOIR suite on Venus Express [9] , a ground principle prototype of an AOTF imaging spectrometer (0.5-1.0 μm) for Mars exploration designed and developed by Bei hang University's Key Laboratory of Precision Opto-Mechatronics Technology of the Ministry of Education [10] , the AOTF imaging spectrometer (0.45-0.95μm and SWIR) developed by the SITP for the Chang'e-3 lunar exploration mission [11] , and an AOTF spectrometer (0.7-1.6μm)of The ACS NIR channel of EXOMARS 2016 [12] , and the SCMU Infrared Spectrometer (1.3-2.6µm) of The SuperCam instrument aboard NASA's Mars 2020 rove [13][14] .…”