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Low energy neutral atom imaging on the Moon with the SARA instrument aboard Chandrayaan-1 mission |
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| Authors: | Anil Bhardwaj Stas Barabash Yoshifumi Futaana Yoichi Kazama Kazushi Asamura David McCann R Sridharan Mats Holmstrom Peter Wurz Rickard Lundin |
| Institution: | (1) Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, 695 022 Trivandrum, India;(2) Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Box 812, 98128 Kiruna, Sweden;(3) Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 229- 8510 Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan;(4) Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, CH- 3012 Bern, Switzerland;(5) Currently at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Mail Code 612.2, 20771 Greenbelt, MD, USA |
| Abstract: | This paper reports on the Sub-keV Atom Reflecting Analyzer (SARA) experiment that will be flown on the first Indian lunar mission Chandrayaan-1. The SARA is a low energy neutral atom (LENA) imaging mass spectrometer, which will perform remote sensing of the lunar surface via detection of neutral atoms in the energy range from 10 eV to 3 keV from a 100km polar orbit. In this report we present the basic design of the SARA experiment and discuss various scientific issues that will be addressed. The SARA instrument consists of three major subsystems: a LENA sensor (CENA), a solar wind monitor (SWIM), and a digital processing unit (DPU). SARA will be used to image the solar wind-surface interaction to study primarily the surface composition and surface magnetic anomalies and associated mini-magnetospheres. Studies of lunar exosphere sources and space weathering on the Moon will also be attempted. SARA is the first LENA imaging mass spectrometer of its kind to be flown on a space mission. A replica of SARA is planned to fly to Mercury onboard the BepiColombo mission. |
| Keywords: | Moon Moon-solar wind interaction lunar elemental composition lunar magnetic anomalies Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA) lunar mission |
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