Rocket-borne instrumentation using the resonant absorption technique to study the geocoronal and interplanetary helium emissions.
A rocket payload able to perform a thorough and independent analysis of the He I 58.43340-nm geocoronal and interplanetary emissions is presented. It includes a sun-pointed resonant absorption spectrometer and a sky-scanning resonant absorption photometer. Both incorporate a similar helium resonance cell of original design featuring a most flexible pressure scanning capability and an accurate pressure measuring device, so that scanning by wavelength bandpasses from 20 down to 1 pm can be achieved. A description of the design and calibration of the instrument is given, followed by an indication of its successful operation in flight.
Crifo
J F
JF
Laboratoire de Physique Stellaire et Planétaire, P.O. Box 10, 91370 Verrieres le Buisson, France.
Fahr
H J
HJ
Seidi
P
P
Wulf-Mathies
C
C