Ultraviolet (UV) observations of the Earth's upper atmosphere are essential for meeting operational requirements for space weather specification and prediction. Such observations provide valuable information about neutral and ion density variations. Current operational sensors measure the limb profiles by mechanically scanning the field of view across the limb. This mechanical scan mechanism requires significant power and can fail, and the high counting rates during observations near the peak of the limb profile require high-speed detectors to accommodate the counting rates when using the high-sensitivity sensors. This paper describes an instrument that can provide limb observations of the UV airglow by aligning the slit perpendicular to the limb. To measure the limb profile without scanning requires a combination of wide field of view and high spatial resolution that previous instruments have been unable to provide. This approach would require significantly less resources (power, weight, etc.) than current sensors, while providing similar performance. A preliminary scattering analysis of the instrument is also included.
Ultraviolet (UV) observations are essential for meeting operational requirements for space weather specification. Such observations provide valuable information about neutral and ion density variations in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. However, the resources required to support the necessary ultraviolet sensors are significant. Current operational sensors measure the limb profiles by mechanically scanning the field-of-view across the limb. This mechanical scan mechanism requires significant power, has a potential for failure, and the high counting rates during observations near the peak of the limb profile require high speed detectors to accommodate the counting rates when using the high sensitivity sensors. Also, the attitude information and stability needed for accurate limb profiles are more difficult on smaller spacecraft and require considerable resources. This paper describes an instrument that can provide limb observations of the UV airglow by aligning the slit perpendicular to the limb. To measure the limb profile without scanning requires a combination of wide field-of-view and high spatial resolution which previous instruments have been unable to provide. This approach would require significantly less resources (power, weight, etc.) than current sensors, while providing similar performance.
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