Gamma-Ray Spectrometer

     Gamma-Ray Spectrometer is an instrument to measure the distribution of gamma radiation. The Study and analysis of gamma-ray spectra is called as Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy. This spectrometer used in spacecrafts to observe and collect data by measuring the energy of each photon. Electromagnetic radiation is directly proportional to its frequency. Hence photons are counted typically by this spectrometer.

NOTABLE SPACECRAFT FOR THIS PAYLOAD:

• Messenger
• Apollo 16
• 2001 Mars Odyssey

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Thermal Infrared Spectrometer

     Thermal Infrared Spectrometer is a type of Infrared Spectrometer which emits radiation in the infrared part of electromagnetic spectrum. It measures the thermal infrared radiation emitted from the Sample solution or Land Surface. This instrument is mostly used in planet exploration types of spacecraft to detect or identify the composition of surface and sample solutions. It has  airborne and spaceborne applications.

 

AIRBORNE SPECTROMETER TYPE:

• TIMS - Multispectral Radiometer 
• SEABASS -  Hyperspectral Spectrometer
• Hyper-Cam - Hyperspectral Thermal Infrared Camera
• OWL - Hyperspectral Thermal Infrared Camera 

SPACEBORNE SPECTROMETER TYPE:

• ISM - Imaging Spectrometer carried by Russian's Phobos 2 Spacecraft 
• ASTER - Multispectral Radiometer carried by Earth Observing Satellite "Terra"
• TIS - Spectrometer carried by Mangalyaan
• TES - Hyperspectral Spectrometer  carried by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft
• Mini-TES - Small Version of spectrometer mounted on NASA's both Mars Exploration Rovers
• THEMIS - A Multispectral Thermal Infrared Imager carried by 2001 Mars Odyssey Spacecraft. 

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Ultraviolet Spectrometer

Ultraviolet Spectrometer

      Ultraviolet Spectrometer uses ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy to analyse metal ions, organic compounds and biological macro-molecules. These analysis is carried out in solution state only not in solid or gas state. It absorbs the light in the visible range which directly makes a change in colour of chemicals. In the visible region atoms, molecules and electromagnetic spectrum undergo electronic transitions. Fluorescence spectroscopy deals with transition from excited to ground state and absorption transition from ground to excited state.

Principle of Spectrometer:

      Molecules containing pi-electrons can observe energy in the form of visible light to excite electrons from low to high anti-bonding molecular orbitals.

Simple Principle of UV-Spectrometer

Applications:

• It has wide applications in the field of colouring metal solutions
• It is used in spacecrafts as payload to detect organic compounds in space for search of life.
• It detects organic water-soluble compounds, ethanol and biological compounds. 

NOTABLE SPACECRAFTS FOR THIS PAYLOAD: 

• Voyager-1
• Viking-1 Lander
• Curiosity Rover
• Mariner-6
• Mariner-7
• Mariner-9
• Mars Express
• Beagle-2 Lander
• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter etc...

SOME PHOTOS OF UV-SPECTROMETER:

 

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Cosmic Ray Subsystem

       Cosmic Ray Subsystems is an instrument used in Voyager-1 and Voyager-2 spacecraft of the NASA Voyager program, and it is an experiment to detect cosmic rays. The Cosmic Ray Subsystem includes a (HETS), (LETS) and (TET). 

• High-Energy Telescope System
• Low-Energy  Telescope System
• The Electron Telescope

These instruments were designed to detect energetic particles and some the requirements were for the instruments to be reliable and to have enough charge resolution.It can also detect energetic particles from Galaxies.As of 2017 CRS is one of the active instruments on Voyager spacecraft, and it described by as being able to detect electrons from 3-110 MeV and cosmic ray nuclei 1-500 MeV/n. All the three systems used solid-state detectors. CRS is one of the five active instruments on both Voyager spacecraft, and its aim is to understand deeper about the solar-wind. Other objectives of study including electrons and nuclei from planetary magnetospheres and from outside the solar system.

INSTRUMENT DETAILS:

Name of Instrument : Cosmic Ray Subsystem

Spacecraft Carried   : Voyager 1 and Voyager 2
Function                    : Detection of cosmic rays
Instrument Status     : Active
Manufacturer            : NASA

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Mars Colour Camera

MARS COLOR CAMERA:

MCC (Mars Color Camera)

     Mars Color Camera (MCC) operates in visible range of 0.4 to 0.7 micrometer and uses RGB pattern. Its IGFOV varies from 19.5 m to 4 km.The detector array has 2048x2048 elements on a pixel pitch of 5.5 micro. The Sensor is driven by a custom built electronics designed around the detector. MCC is among five science payloads onboard MOM. It has 16 different modes of exposures, aimed at imaging the Mars Surface with moderate scientific objectives.

AIMED OBJECTIVES:

• Surface features : To Image the Surface features of Mars with varying resolution and scales using the unique elliptical orbit. This includes the craters, mountains, valleys, sedimentary features, volcanic features, rift valleys, mega faults etc.. on the surface of the Mars
• Methane Source : To map the geological setting of area around Methane sources picked up by the fellow sensor onboard MOM, the MSM (Methane Sensor for Mars) 
• Polar Ice Caps : To map Martian Polar ice Caps and its seasonal variations
• Dust Devils : To monitor dynamic behaviour of the dust devils and dust storms over six months
• Exo-Mars Studies : Besides Mars, there will be attempt for opportunistic imaging of phobos and comet during the elliptical orbit around Mars
• Context Information : One of the most important task of MCC is to provide contextual information for other science payload onboard MOM. This will help interpret the science from the other sensors in a better way. Due to highly dynamic nature of Martian atmosphere and surface, every mission needs to carry its own imaging camera and hence Mars Color Camera.

DATA PRODUCT SCHEMA:

     An MCC image is a Bayer filter mosaic, a color filter array (CFA) for arranging RGB color filters on a square grid of photo sensors. The demosaicing algorithm is employed to reconstruct a full color image. Level-1 product (calibrated data) generation involves detector wise photo response non-uniformity model correction as understood from pre-launch laboratory calibration exercises. line/pixels loss correction and tagging the geographic coordinates to each pixel. level-1 corrected are generated for users. The software pipeline produces calibrated data to generate minimum Planetary Data System (PDS) compliance product.

TESTING: 

The first photograph was taken on 19th November 2013 at 08:20 UTC from an altitude of 67,975 km with 3.5 km spatial resolution, swath 7,240 km and 0.4 msec integration time.

 Another imaging session over the Sahara desert was carried out on 23rd November 2013 at 09:00 UTC from an altitude of 18,746 km. The spatial resolution was 0.91km.

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