Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1766604 Advances in Space Research 2008 8 Pages PDF
Abstract
The Mercury's Sodium Atmosphere Spectral Imager (MSASI) on BepiColombo (BC) will address a range of fundamental scientific questions pertaining to Mercury's exosphere. The measurements will provide new information on regolith-exosphere-magnetosphere coupling as well as new understanding of the dynamics governing the exosphere bounded by the planetary surface, the solar wind and interplanetary space. MSASI is a high-dispersion visible spectrometer working in the spectral range around sodium D2 emission (589 nm). A tandem Fabry-Perot etalon is used to achieve a compact design. We presents a design of the spectral analyzer using Fabry-Perot interferometer. We conclude that: (1) The MSASI optical design is practical and can be implemented without new or critical technology developments; (2) The thermally-tuned etalon design is based on concepts, designs and materials that have good space heritage.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Earth and Planetary Sciences Space and Planetary Science
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