Radiometric and calibration performance results of the Rosetta UV imaging spectrometer ALICE

David C. Slater; S. Alan Stern; Thomas Booker; John Scherrer; Michael F. A'Hearn; Jean-Loup Bertaux; Paul D. Feldman; Michel C. Festou; Oswald H. W. Siegmund

doi:10.1117/12.450059

10 December 2001 Radiometric and calibration performance results of the Rosetta UV imaging spectrometer ALICE

David C. Slater, S. Alan Stern, Thomas Booker, John Scherrer, Michael F. A'Hearn, Jean-Loup Bertaux, Paul D. Feldman, Michel C. Festou, Oswald H. W. Siegmund

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4498, UV/EUV and Visible Space Instrumentation for Astronomy and Solar Physics; (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.450059
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2001, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

We describe the design, scientific objectives, and radiometric performance and calibration results of the Rosetta/ALICE instrument. ALICE is a lightweight (3.0 kg), low-power (4 W), low-cost imaging spectrometer optimized for cometary ultraviolet spectroscopy. Funded by NASA (with hardware contributions from CNES, France), ALICE will fly in 2003 on the ESA Rosetta Orbiter to characterize the cometary nucleus, coma, and nucleus/coma coupling of the Rosetta mission prime target comet 46P/Wirtanen. ALICE will also make observations of two asteroid flyby targets and of the Moon and Mars during the cruise portions of the Rosetta mission. It will obtain spatially-resolved, far-UV spectra of Wirtanen's nucleus and coma in the 700-2050A passband with a spectral resolution of 8-12A for extended sources that fill the entrance slit's 0.05 degree(s) x 6 degree(s) field-of-view. An improved derivative of the Rosetta/ALICE is also the UV spectrometer aboard the PERSI remote sensing suite proposed for the Pluto Kuiper Belt mission. ALICE uses modern technology to achieve its low mass and low power design specifications. It employs an off-axis telescope feeding a 0.15-m normal incidence Rowland circle spectrograph with a concave (toroidal) holographic reflection grating. The imaging microchannel plate (MCP) detector utilizes dual solar-blind opaque photocathodes of KBr and CsI deposited on a cylindrically-curved (7.5-cm radius) MCP Z-stack, and a matching 2-D cylindrically-curved double delay-line readout array with a 1024 x 32 pixel array format. Three data taking modes exist: (i) histogram image mode for 2-D images, (ii) pixel list mode with periodic time fiducials for temporal studies, and (iii) count rate mode for broadband photometric studies. Optical and radiometric sensitivity performance results based on integrated system level tests of the ALICE flight model are presented and discussed.

Citation Download Citation

David C. Slater, S. Alan Stern, Thomas Booker, John Scherrer, Michael F. A'Hearn, Jean-Loup Bertaux, Paul D. Feldman, Michel C. Festou, and Oswald H. W. Siegmund "Radiometric and calibration performance results of the Rosetta UV imaging spectrometer ALICE", Proc. SPIE 4498, UV/EUV and Visible Space Instrumentation for Astronomy and Solar Physics, (10 December 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.450059

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available