The Solar Package on ISS: SOL-ACES
Abstract
The "solar package" comprises the experiments SOLSPEC (UV/Vis to IR spectral range), SOVIM (total solar radiation) and SOL-ACES to be installed on a Coarse Pointing Device (CPD) of the International Space Station for a 1.5 year mission launched in 2003. The CPD allows for measuring periods of at least fifteen minutes per orbit totaling approximately 600 hours per year of solar observations. The Solar Auto Calibrating EUV/UV Spectrometers (SOL-ACES) are currently developed to measure the solar radiation (full disk) in the 17 nm to 220 nm spectral range with four grazing-incidence grating spectrometers. To obtain high radiometric accuracy of better than 10 %, a double ionization chamber is assigned to each of the spectrometers as a primary detector standard. Optical bandpass filters are mounted on a filter wheel to be placed at the entrance apertures of the spectrometers and ionization chambers and thereby will establish the radiometric link between these devices. The spectrometers are designed as scanning monochromators operating at fixed incidence angles. The deflected radiation is monitored by rotating an assembly containing a parabolic mirror, an exit slit and a channel electron multiplier around the grating center. The optical length of the ionization chamber of 0.5 m is divided into two identical electrode sections. In addition, the transmitted radiation is measured by a silicon diode detector located at the end of the absorption path. Detector and electrode signals are recorded as a function of the gas pressure in the chamber, which is increased from zero to a few hectopascal during a single measurement. These data permit the absolute quantification of the radiant solar flux in the wavelength interval transmitted by the bandpass filter and the correction for secondary effects, such as ionization caused by photoelectrons. With these measurements the spectrometer efficiencies at the filter bandpass wavelengths can be recalibrated as required during the mission.
- Publication:
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ISSI Scientific Reports Series
- Pub Date:
- 2002
- Bibcode:
- 2002ISSIR...2..355W