Cassini imaging science subsystem

Cynthia L. Kahn; William S. King

doi:10.1117/12.253418

7 October 1996 Cassini imaging science subsystem

Cynthia L. Kahn, William S. King

Proceedings Volume 2803, Cassini/Huygens: A Mission to the Saturnian Systems; (1996) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.253418
Event: SPIE's 1996 International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1996, Denver, CO, United States

Abstract

The Cassini imaging science subsystem uses two separate camera designs to satisfy the scientific objectives of the Cassini mission. The first is a narrow angle camera (NAC) design which obtains high resolution images of the target of interest. The second is a wide angle camera (WAC) design which provides a different scale of image resolution and more complete coverage spatially. Each camera is a framing charge coupled device (CCD) imager. They differ primarily in the design of the optics: the NAC has a focal length of 2000 mm and the WAC has a focal length of 200 mm. Both cameras have a focal plane shutter of the Voyager/Galileo type, and a two-wheel filter changing mechanism derived from the Hubble Space Telescope Wide-Field/Planetary Camera. The detector is cooled to suppress dark current and is shielded from space radiation. The electronics for each camera are identical and contain the signal chain and CCD drivers, the Engineering Flight Computer, command and control compressor, and a lossy compressor. The CCD detector design is a square array of 1024 X 1024 pixels. Each pixel is 12 micrometers on a side. The detector uses three phases, front side illuminated architecture, with a coating of lumogen phosphor to enhance ultraviolet response. This paper will describe the ISS in detail, review the technologies involved, and the design challenges with these cameras.

Citation Download Citation

Cynthia L. Kahn and William S. King "Cassini imaging science subsystem", Proc. SPIE 2803, Cassini/Huygens: A Mission to the Saturnian Systems, (7 October 1996); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.253418

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