NSSDCA ID: 1997-061A-05
Mission Name: CassiniThe Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) on Cassini is designed to measure infrared emissions from atmospheres, rings, and surfaces over a wavelength range between 7 and 1000 micrometers. Its objectives for Saturn and Titan are to: (1) map the global atmospheric temperature structure; (2) map the global atmospheric gas composition; (3) ascertain global atmospheric haze and cloud distributions; (4) gather information on atmospheric energetic processes; and, (5) search for new atmospheric molecular species. Additional goals are to: (6) map global surface temperatures at Titan; and, (7) to determine the thermal characteristics and composition of Saturn's rings and icy satellites. To accomplish these goals, CIRS consists of a 50.8 cm Cassegrain telescope and three interferometers, a far-infrared, a mid-infrared, and a reference interferometer.
The far-infrared interferometer covers a spectral range from 17-1000 micrometers (10-600/cm). The instrument is a polarizing interferometer with substrate-mounted wire grid polarizers to polarize the radiation and subsequently modulate the polarization. The instrument has a 4.3 milliradian field of view.
The mid-infrared interferometer is of conventional Michelson design and covers a spectral range of 7-17 micrometers (600-1400/cm) in two bands. The first band (9-17 micrometers or 600-1000/cm) is imaged on a 1 x 10 photoconductive HgCdTe detector array. The second band (7-9 micrometers or 1100-1400/cm) is imaged on a 1 x 10 photovoltaic HgCdTe detector array. Each element in each detector array consists of a 0.273 milliradian square pixel.
The reference interferometer provides timing correlation of the science data sampling to the scan mechanism position. Also of a Michelson design, it is used on-axis at the optic center of the mid-infrared interferometer and includes laser diode and LED sources, a quartz beam-splitter/compensator, optics, and a silicon detector.
A 70-80 K cold finger serves as a single-stage passive cooler, radiating to space. There are four commandable set points within the range, but the nominal setting is 80 K. The cold finger has heaters for decontamination and detector annealing.
Mass: 39.24 kg
Power (avg): 26.4 W
Bit rate (avg): 6 kbps
Questions and comments about this experiment can be directed to: Dr. Edwin V. Bell, II
Name | Role | Original Affiliation | |
---|---|---|---|
Dr. Barney J. Conrath | Co-Investigator | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | |
Dr. Tobias C. Owen | Co-Investigator | University of Hawaii | |
Dr. John C. Pearl | Co-Investigator | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | jpearl@pop600.gsfc.nasa.gov |
Dr. Renee M. Prange | Co-Investigator | Institut d Astrophysique Spatiale | prange@ias.fr |
Dr. Robert E. Samuelson | Co-Investigator | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | |
Dr. Peter J. Gierasch | Co-Investigator | Cornell University | gierasch@astro.cornell.edu |
Dr. Fredric W. Taylor | Co-Investigator | Oxford University | fred.taylor@physics.oxford.ac.uk |
Dr. Glenn S. Orton | Co-Investigator | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory | go@orton.jpl.nasa.gov |
Dr. F. Michael Flasar | Co-Investigator | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | mike@leprss.gsfc.nasa.gov |
Dr. Daniel Gautier | Co-Investigator | Observatoire de Paris, Meudon | daniel.gautier@obspm.fr |
Dr. Donald E. Jennings | Co-Investigator | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | donald.e.jennings.1@gsfc.nasa.gov |
Dr. Regis D. Courtin | Co-Investigator | Observatoire de Paris, Meudon | regis.courtin@obspm.fr |
Dr. Mian M. Abbas | Co-Investigator | NASA Marshall Space Flight Center | mian.abbas@msfc.nasa.gov |
Dr. Francois Raulin | Co-Investigator | Universite Paris | raulin@univ-paris12.fr |
Dr. Bruno Bezard | Co-Investigator | Observatoire de Paris, Meudon | bruno.bezard@obspm.fr |
Dr. John C. Brasunas | Co-Investigator | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | john.brasunas@gsfc.nasa.gov |
Dr. Gordon L. Bjoraker | Co-Investigator | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | gbjoraker@lepssc.gsfc.nasa.gov |
Dr. C. Cesarsky | Co-Investigator | Centre d'Etudes Nucleaires de Saclay | cesarsky@cea.fr |
Dr. Paul N. Romani | Co-Investigator | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | paul.romani@nasa.gov |
Dr. Peter Ade | Co-Investigator | Queen Mary and Westfield College, London | peter.ade@astro.cf.ac.uk |
Dr. Antonella Barucci | Co-Investigator | Observatoire de Paris, Meudon | antonella.barucci@obspm.fr |
Dr. Simon Calcutt | Co-Investigator | Oxford University | calcutt@atm.ox.ac.uk |
Dr. Angioletta Coradini | Co-Investigator | Universita la Sapienza | |
Dr. Athena Coustenis | Co-Investigator | Observatoire de Paris, Meudon | athena.coustenis@obspm.fr |
Dr. Klaus Grossman | Co-Investigator | Universitat-Gesanthochschule Wuppertal | gross@wpos2.physik.uni-wuppertal.de |
Dr. Emmanuel Lellouch | Co-Investigator | Observatoire de Paris, Meudon | emmanuel.lellouch@obspm.fr |
Dr. Andre Marten | Co-Investigator | Observatoire de Paris, Meudon | andre.marten@obspr.fr |
Dr. Jean-Paul Meyer | Co-Investigator | Centre d'Etudes Nucleaires de Saclay | jmeyer@cea.fr |
Dr. Peter Read | Co-Investigator | Oxford University | read@atm.ox.ac.uk |
Mr. Virgil G. Kunde | Principal Investigator | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | u3vgk@lepvax.gsfc.nasa.gov |