Scientific objectives and instrumental requirements of the infrared spectrometer VenSpec-H onboard EnVision
Onboard the EnVision spacecraft, there will be a suite of three spectrometers, VenSpec. One of these is called VenSpec-H where the H stands for high spectral resolution. Its scientific objectives consist of measuring variations of minor species’ abundances in the atmosphere of Venus. H2O, SO2, CO, and OCS will be measured to characterize the potentially ongoing volcanic activity. These observations will allow us to understand both the importance of volatiles in volcanic activity on Venus and their effect on cloud maintenance and dynamics. VenSpec-H will measure these molecules in nadir viewing geometry, in infrared transparency windows of Venus’ nightside to probe the troposphere, and in infrared spectral ranges on the dayside to measure the mesosphere. The scientific requirements enabling our scientific objectives will be demonstrated. The molecular vertical profiles, the aerosols’ model, and the CO2 continuum contribution were established based on the literature for the different spectral windows. This enabled us to determine the spectral bands, their bandwidth, and the resolving power necessary for our purposes. Along the way, we identified possible improvements and science avenues. Some of them impact the instrument design, such as the need for polarimetric measurements. Others are related to remaining uncertainties in the model and laboratory measurements that will complement the investigation. This has been presented as a poster at the SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications Conference in August 2024 in San Diego, California, United States.
Authors
- Lars Jacobs
- Roderick De Cock (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5444-6185)
- Shohei Aoki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6727-125X)
- Emmanuel Marcq (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1924-641X)
- Ian Thomas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3887-6668)
- David Bolsée (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5324-8446)
- J. Helbert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5346-9505)
- Nuno Pereira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6370-9373)
- Justin Erwin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0200-3195)
- F. Vanhellemont (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1799-2854)
- Giulia Alemanno (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7232-2047)
- Bruno Bézard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5433-5661)
- Séverine Robert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7445-3027)
- Eddy Neefs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8650-5872)
- Sophie Berkenbosch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4351-4226)
- Ann Carine Vandaele (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8940-9301)
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR)
- Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BE)
- Université Paris Cité (FR)
- Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Observatoire de Paris (FR)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace (FR)
- Laboratoire d’études spatiales et d’instrumentation en astrophysique (FR)
- Laboratoire atmosphères, milieux, observations spatiales (FR)
- The University of Tokyo (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Applied Remote Sensing
- Published
- 2025-03-31
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1117/1.jrs.19.014525
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Calibration and Measurement Techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.99
Funders
- Belgian Federal Science Policy Office
- Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales