China's Planetary Optical Remote Sensing Program

Deep space exploration is one of the four scientific strategies of China. More and more Earth scientists in China have been engaging in planetary science. As two representatives, China has successfully implemented the Chang'E Project and approved the Mars in-situ detection program while the Jupiter detection program is under argumentation. Before we have a true planetary satellite in orbit, it is necessary to carry out Earth-based planetary optical remote sensing to improve our understanding on space environment and geological activity of planets, such as balloon-borne telescopes and ground-based telescopes. Compared with space-based observation, the main advantages of these telescopes are low costs, maintainability, long-term continuous observation, and rapid response to space events, etc. except for a limit in spectral bands that can be used. Supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (SPRPCAS), that is the Scientific Experimental system in Near-SpacE (SENSE), the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, CAS (IGGCAS) is now leading a sub-program to carry out coordinated balloon-borne planetary optical remote sensing and ground-based monitoring of planetary geological activity. In this program, a balloon-borne planetary atmospheric spectral telescope (PAST) with 1-m aperture in spectral range from 280 nm to 700 nm will be floated at 35-40 km altitude to observe and investigate the global space environment of Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. At the same time, two ground-based telescopes both with 1-m aperture will be established to monitor the geological activities of Jupiter's moons. Though the coordinated observations by PAST and ground-based telescopes and using other available satellite data, we will investigate the diversity of the space environment of solar system planets, as well as their responses to the solar activity, that is how solar energy modulate the global atmosphere environment of different planets.