Instrumentation

Instrumentation

A variety of instruments have been built in the Planetary Systems Laboratory, most with a focus on infrared devices. Some of these have flown on missions such as Voyager 1 and 2, Cassini, and New Horizons, while others are used at ground-based facilities. These instruments are managed and operated by members of the Planetary Systems Laboratory, with work that includes mission planning and sequencing, as well as instrument operations. We also are developing the next generation of instruments to meet future mission requirements, including new detectors and lightweight designs.

Composite Infrared Spectrograph (CIRS): A mid-to-far-infrared Fourier transform spectrometer on the Cassini spacecraft. CIRS operates three focal planes over the 7-to-1000 micron region. See our CIRS site for additional information.

Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS): An infrared imager (10 - 12 microns) on the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, which is scheduled for a December 2012 launch.

Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA): The near-IR imaging spectrograph on New Horizons, part of the Ralph camera. It has 250 narrow-band channels in the 1.2 - 2.5 micron range. See this site for additional information along with an instrument drawing.

Heterodyne Instrument for Planetary Wind And Composition (HIPWAC): Used at ground-based facilities, often at NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea. You can find more information here.

Infrared Radiometer Interferometer and Spectrograph (IRIS): A mid-to-far-infrared Michelson spectrograph (4 - 55 microns) and shorter wavelength radiometer. Versions flew on both Voyager 1 and 2. You can find more information here.

Cryogenic Echelle Spectrometer (CELESTE): Used on ground-based facilities, most notably the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope at Kitt Peak.

Acousto-Optic Tunable Filter (AOTF) cameras: These cameras operate over an octave of frequency in the visible or near-IR regions by tuning a piezo-electric crystal to act as a narrowband filter. This enables the generation of hyperspectral image cubes, and several of these cameras have been used at many ground-based facilities, including Apache Point Observation and the Air Force AEOS Telescope on Maui.