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Space Topics: SMART-1
Science Instruments
Multinational teams of scientists and engineers are conducting 10 different investigations coordinated by a Science and Technology Operations Center. The instrument teams are led by principal investigators from Finland, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. All ESA member countries are taking part, providing co-investigators for various experiments.
Electric Propulsion Diagnostic Package - EPDP -- is fed by a selection of sensors, mounted on the outside of the spacecraft. It is designed to monitor the ion engine's effects on the spacecraft. Ion-engine technology can cause surface temperatures to rise and create unwanted electric currents on the spacecraft, so it must be carefully watched. Principal investigator: Giovanni Noci, Laben Proel, Italy.
Spacecraft Potential, Electron and Dust Experiment – SPEDE -- consists of two electrical sensors mounted on the ends of 60-centimeter booms fixed to the outside of the spacecraft. They, too, monitor the effects of the solar-electric propulsion on the spacecraft. During SMART-1's cruise phase, the experiment mapped the plasma-density distribution around Earth and now in lunar orbit is studying how the solar wind affects the Moon. Principal investigator: Anssi Malkki, Finnish Meteorological Institute Helsinki, Finland.
X/Ka-band Telemetry and Telecommand Experiment - KaTE -- Using very sensitive receivers onboard the spacecraft, KaTE tests new digital radio communications technology. It demonstrates the performance of a new higher range of communication frequencies in the X-band (8 GHz) and Ka-band (32/34 GHz) on a science mission. It also tests new data encoding techniques (Turbo code) used to validate the corresponding ground-based infrastructure needed to receive these signals. Principal investigator: Detlef Heuer, Astrium GmbH, Germany, in association with TTC and Radio Navigation Section, Electrical Department, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
Radio Science Investigation with SMART-1 - RSIS -- uses KaTE and AMIE to perform a painstaking investigation into the way the Moon wobbles. This is the first time a spacecraft in orbit has performed such an experiment. It is therefore an essential test for future missions that will investigate Einstein's Theories of Relativity. Principal investigator: Luciano Iess and Giovani Palmerini, University of Rome, Italy, in association with TTC and Radio Navigation Section, Electrical Department, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
Laser Link experiment -- demonstrates the use of a continuous laser beam to point a spacecraft from Earth, and the potential for its use in future communication purposes. It is the first European test of a laser connection between Earth and a spacecraft traveling at deep space distances. SMART-1 used the AMIE camera to spot the laser beam emitted by the ground station at Tenerife (Canaries Islands, Spain). Principal investigator: Zoran Sodnik, Senior Optical Engineer, Optics Section, Mechanical Systems Department, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.
On-board Autonomous Navigation - OBAN -- used AMIE to gather images of celestial objects such as Earth, the Moon, and asteroids, to work out exactly where SMART-1 is in space. This is the first step towards a spacecraft that will be able to navigate for itself. Principal investigator: Finn Ankersen, guidance, navigation and control analyst at ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, in cooperation with the European Space Operations Centre (J. Fertig), ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany.
Asteroid-Moon Micro-Imager Experiment - AMIE -- is a miniature camera, capable of taking color images and storing them in a memory. It can perform some automatic image processing. As well as imaging the Moon, AMIE supports the Laser-Link experiment and OBAN, and it will assist with RSIS. AMIE's lunar images are used for educational and science communication. Principal investigator: Jean-Luc Josset, Space-X, Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) in Neuchatel, Switzerland, leading a team from seven other European industrial or academic establishments.
Infrared exploration of the lunar surface - SIR -- will perform a detailed analysis of the Moon's surface composition. It will provide greater insight into the processes of the crater and maria formation and the phenomenon of 'space weathering' on the Moon's surface. Principal investigator: Uwe Keller, Max Planck Institute für Aeronomie.
Demonstration of a Compact Imaging X-ray Spectrometer - D-CIXS -- will provide the first global map of the lunar surface's composition. Its observations will allow scientists to confirm theories on the evolution of lunar terrains and will provide clues to the origin of the Moon. This is a test instrument for a similar investigation of Mercury. Principal investigator: Manuel Grande, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, United Kingdom.
X-ray Solar Monitor - XSM -- will monitor the Sun's output of X-rays so that solar storms do not confuse the results from D-CIXS and will observe the Sun as an X-ray star during the cruise. Principal Investigator: Juhani Huovelin, University of Helsinki Observatory, Finland.
Links
SMART-1 Home Page
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/index.html
SMART-1 Fact Sheet
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART-1/SEMSDE1A6BD_0.html
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