A compact ion and neutral gas mass spectrometer for the future interstellar probe mission
Abstract
A future interstellar mission provides an excellent opportunity for the in-situ measurement of the local interstellar medium, undisturbed by the Sun's gravity and radiation. This presentation models first the expected signal for assumed local interstellar medium properties of: 26km/sec bulk flow speed, 7000K temperature and 0.01 /cm^3 density, and the noise expected from the UV black sky, the cosmic ray and electronics backgrounds. A compact ion and neutral gas mass spectrometer will be presented with resources tailored for the estimated S/N, assuming a spacecraft velocity in the range of 2 to 6 times of Voyager 1 ( 33 to 100 km/sec), with the boresight of the instrument facing the ram direction on a preferentially spinning spacecraft, with the goal to separate the major species of H, He, O, Ne and possibly minor species, well separated already in energy by the relative spacecraft velocity, as well as to obtain their bulk flow speeds, temperatures, and densities. The instrument concept is based on a recently developed gated time of flight mini mass spectrometer and high sensitivity ENA instrument at NASA/GSFC, validated with the Exocube and Dellingr small satellite missions and an upcoming sounding rocket mission.
- Publication:
-
42nd COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- July 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018cosp...42E2595P