Analog signal processing in the dust particle experiment of the Giotto mission

The present investigation is concerned with the signal processing operations to be performed in connection with the conduction of the Particulate Impact Analyzer (PIA) experiment of the Giotto space mission. The PIA experiment has the objective to analyze particles released from Halley's comet during the return of the comet in 1986. Temporal characteristics regarding the spectrometer signals are considered along with the requirements which have to be satisfied by the electronic equipment. The design of the electronic system for the signal processing operations is discussed, taking into account the analog multiplexer, a wideband logarithmic amplifier, and an analog-to-digital converter. Attention is also given to results which were obtained in tests conducted with pulse signals.