The Spectropolarimeter for Planetary Exploration - SPEX

摘要: SPEX (Spectropolarimeter for Planetary EXploration) is an innovative, compact remotesensing instrument measuring and characterizing aerosols in the atmosphere. The shoebox size capable of accurate full linear spectropolarimetry without moving parts or liquid crystals. High precision polarimetry performed through encoding degree angle polarization incoming light a sinusoidal modulation spectrum. Measuring this intensity spectrum thus provides spectral dependence polarization. Polarimetry has proven to be excellent tool study microphysical properties atmospheric particles. Such information essential better understand weather climate planet. Although can used any planetary atmosphere, including Earth's, current design tailored Martian dust clouds from orbiting platform. SPEX’ 9 entrance pupils simultaneously measure spectra 0.4 0.8 microns, different directions along flight direction (including two limb viewing directions). This way, scattering phase functions cloud particles within ground pixel are sampled while flying over it. provide synergy with instruments on rovers landers, as it overview spatial temporal variations