The pre-launch characterization of SIMBIO-SYS/VIHI imaging spectrometer for the BepiColombo mission to Mercury. I. Linearity, radiometry, and geometry calibrations

Before integration aboard European Space Agency BepiColombo mission to Mercury, the visible and near infrared hyperspectral imager underwent an intensive calibration campaign. We report in Paper I about the radiometric and linearity responses of the instrument including the optical setups used to perform them. Paper II [F. Altieri et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 88, 094503 (2017)] will describe complementary spectral response calibration. The responsivity is used to calculate the expected instrumental signal-to-noise ratio for typical observation scenarios of the BepiColombo mission around Mercury. A description is provided of the internal calibration unit that will be used to verify the relative response during the instrument's lifetime. The instrumental spatial response functions as measured along and across the spectrometer's slit direction were determined by means of spatial scans performed with illuminated test slits placed at the focus of a collimator. The dedicated optical setup used for these measurements is described together with the methods used to derive the instrumental spatial responses at different positions within the 3 . 5 ° field of view and at different wavelengths in the 0.4-2.0 μm spectral range. Finally, instrument imaging capabilities and Modulated Transfer Function are tested by using a standard mask as a target

The spectral imaging facility: Setup characterization

The SPectral IMager (SPIM) facility is a laboratory visible infrared spectrometer developed to support space borne observations of rocky bodies of the solar system. Currently, this laboratory setup is used to support the DAWN mission, which is in its journey towards the asteroid 1-Ceres, and to support the 2018 Exo-Mars mission in the spectral investigation of the Martian subsurface. The main part of this setup is an imaging spectrometer that is a spare of the DAWN visible infrared spectrometer. The spectrometer has been assembled and calibrated at Selex ES and then installed in the facility developed at the INAF-IAPS laboratory in Rome. The goal of SPIM is to collect data to build spectral libraries for the interpretation of the space borne and in situ hyperspectral measurements of planetary materials. Given its very high spatial resolution combined with the imaging capability, this instrument can also help in the detailed study of minerals and rocks. In this paper, the instrument setup is first described, and then a series of test measurements, aimed to the characterization of the main subsystems, are reported. In particular, laboratory tests have been performed concerning (i) the radiation sources, (ii) the reference targets, and (iii) linearity of detector response; the instrumental imaging artifacts have also been investigated. <P /

SIMBIO-Sim: a performance simulator for the SIMBIO-SYS suite on board the BepiColombo mission

The SIMBIO-SYS simulator is a useful tool to test the instrument performance and to predict the instrument behaviour during the whole scientific mission. It has been developed with Interactive Data Language (IDL), and it give three groups of output data: i) the geometrical quantities related to the spacecraft and the channels, which include both the general information about the spacecraft and the information for each filter; ii) the radiometric outputs, which include the planet reflectance, the radiance and the expected signal measured by the detector; iii) the quantities related to the channel performance, which are for example the integration time (IT), which has to be defined to avoid the detector saturation, the expected dark current of the detector

Development of a simulator of the SIMBIOSYS suite onboard the BepiColombo mission

BepiColombo is the fifth cornerstone mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) dedicated to study the Mercury planet. The BepiColombo spacecraft comprises two science modules: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) realized by ESA and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The MPO is composed by 11 instruments, including the 'Spectrometer and Imagers for MPO BepiColombo Integrated Observatory System' (SIMBIOSYS). The SIMBIOSYS suite includes three optical channels: a Stereoscopic Imaging Channel, a High Resolution Imaging Channel, and a Visible and near Infrared Hyperspectral Imager. SIMBIOSYS will characterize the hermean surface in terms of surface morphology, volcanism, global tectonics, and chemical composition. The aim of this work is to describe a tool for the radiometric response prediction of the three SIMBIOSYS channels. Given the spectral properties of the surface, the instrument characteristics, and the geometrical conditions of the observation, the realized SIMBIOSYS simulator is capable of estimating the expected signal and integration times for the entire mission lifetime. In the simulator the spectral radiance entering the instrument optical apertures has been modelled using a Hapke reflectance model implementing the parameters expected for the hermean surface. The instrument performances are simulated by means of calibrated optical and detectors responses. The simulator employs the SPICE (Spacecraft, Planet, Instrument, C-matrix, Environment) toolkit software, which allows us to know for each epoch the exact position of the MPO with respect to the planet surface and the Sun

iMARS Phase 2

The file attached is the Published/publisher’s pdf version of the articl

SIMBIO-SYS Near Earth Commissioning Phase: a step forward toward Mercury

On December 2018, the Near Earth Commissioning Phase (NECP) has been place forSIMBIO-SYS (Spectrometers and Imagers for MPO BepiColombo Integrated Observatory - SYStem), the suite part of the scientific payload of the BepiColombo ESA-JAXA mission. SIMBIO-SYS is composed of three channels: the high resolution camera (HRIC), the stereo camera (STC) and the Vis/NIR spectrometer (VIHI) . During the NECP the three channels have been operated properly. For the three channels were checked the operativity and the performance. The commanded operations allowed to verify all the instrument functionalities demonstrating that all SIMBIO-SYS channels and subsystems work nominally. During this phase we also validated the Ground Segment Equipment (GSE) and the data analysis tools developed by the team

The optical design of the MAJIS instrument on board of the JUICE mission

The optical design of the Moons And Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer (MAJIS), is discussed. MAJIS is a compact visible and near-infrared imaging spectrometer covering the spectral range from 0.5 to 5.54 μm (split into two channels), designed for the Jupiter Icy moons Explorer (JUICE) mission. The MAJIS optical layout is constituted by a TMA telescope shared between the two channels, as well as the slit and a collimator, a dichroic filter that splits the light between the channels (VIS-NIR and IR), each one endowed with its own grating, objective and detector. A flat mirror mounted in a Scan Unit before the telescope allows scanning the line of sight in a direction perpendicular to the slit. The collimator has a Schmidt off-axis configuration, with a specular correcting plate for each channel (the dichroic is inserted between the collimator primary mirror and the correcting plate). With the same conceptual layout in both channels, the collimated light is reflected by a flat ruled grating and crosses a completely dioptric objective. The objectives have the same focal length of the collimator, so both spectrometers have unitary magnification. A linear variable order rejection filter is placed in front of the detector so to reject the higher orders dispersed by the grating. A calibration unit allows radiometric and spectral calibration of both channels, with an incandescent lamp and a black body illuminating a common diffuser. Calibration is realized thanks to an extra-rotation of the Scan Unit. The developed design is optimized to work at cryogenic temperatures, with a good optical quality along the whole FOV and a good correction for transverse chromatic aberration and distortions

DREAMS: a payload on-board the ExoMars EDM Schiaparelli for the characterization of Martian environment during the statistical dust storm season

International audienceDREAMS (Dust characterization, Risk assessment and Environment Analyzer on the Martian Surface) package is an integrated multi-sensor scientific payload dedicated to characterizing the landing site environment in dusty conditions. It will measure pressure, wind speed and direction, relative humidity, temperature, the solar irradiance, the dust opacity, and the atmospheric electric properties close to the surface of Mars.It will fly in January 2016 on-board the Schiaparelli Entry, Descent and landing Demonstrator Module (EDM) of the ExoMars space mission. It is foreseen to land on Mars in late October 2016 during the statistical dust storm season. Therefore, DREAMS might have the unique chance to make scientific measurements to characterize the Martian environment in a dusty scenario also performing the first ever measurements of atmospheric electric field on Mars.The relationship between the process of dust entrainment in the atmosphere during dust events and the enhance- ment of atmospheric electric field has been widely studied in an intense field test campaign in the Sahara desert. In order to better characterize this physical process, we performed atmospheric and environmental measurements comparable to those that DREAMS will acquire on Mars. Preliminary results will be discussed.DREAMS is in a high development state. A first model has been delivered to ESA and has been integrated in the EDM Flight Model. Integration tests are on-going. The DREAMS Flight Model will be delivered at the end of March this year

MarsTEM field test in Mars analog environment

The Temperature sensor of the DREAMS (Dust characterization, Risk assessment and Environment Analyzer on the Martian Surface) package, MarsTEM, on board the Exomars2016 Entry and Descent Module (EDM) was tested in the Moroccan desert during summer 2014. The sensor collected data for almost 3 days during which it measured stability of the atmospheric surface layer and experienced both rainy days and nights and weak desert dust storms. The present paper highlights the meteorology of the desert night behavior showing strong correlation between the measured atmospheric principal parameters and the near and far topography. <P /