Optical Payload onboard the International Space Station for Solar Spectral Irradiance Measurements
Abstract
Three optical instruments for measuring the solar total spectral irradiance from 16 nm to 2900 nm were selected under an ESA funded mission for study of the solar, atmospheric and climate physics. These three instruments are referred to as SOLAR payload, which is placed as an external platform for the COLUMBUS laboratory launched on 7 February 2008 onboard the International Space Station.
The primary objective of this mission is the measurement of the solar total and spectral irradiance and their variability using these three instruments. The first instrument called Solar Variability Irradiance Monitor (SOVIM) is made up of two absolute radiometers and filter-radiometers. The second instrument called Solar Spectrum (SOLSPEC) is composed of three double grating spectrometers, covering the wavelength range from 170 nm to 2900 nm. The third instrument Solar Auto-Calibrating EUV/UV Spectrometers (SolACES) consists of four grazing incidence planar grating spectrometers plus two three-current ionization chambers with 42 narrow-band filters to determine the absolute fluxes from 16 nm to 150 nm. This chapter describes the performances of SOLSPEC and SolACES, as well as their most recent results and future plans.