Infrared Spectrometer (IKS)

Description

The objectives for this instrument (IKS) were to determine (1) the size, radiation capacity, and temperature of the nucleus, (2) the nature, density, distribution, and temperature of the dust, and (3) the nature, relative content, and temperature of the parent molecules of Comet Halley. The instrument had a Cassegrain telescope with a focal length of 500 mm, a diameter of 140 mm, and a field of view of 1 deg. The radiation flux was separated into three beams, each of which passed through its own filter located on a wheel spinning at up to 20 rpm. Two of the channels were devoted to the spectroscopic mode in the wavelength intervals 4000 to 8000 and 8000 to 16,000 nm. The third channel was devoted to nucleus imaging at 7000 to 14,000 nm. Three Hg-Cd-Te photoconductors cooled to 80 deg K by liquid nitrogen were used as detecting devices.