MIRO: Microwave Instrument for Rosetta Orbiter
Rauer, H.; Hartogh, P.; Lellouch, E.; Encrenaz, T.; Crovisier, J.; Biver, N.; Bockelée-Morvan, D.; Encrenaz, P.; Hofstadter, M.; Steinmetz, E.; Jarchow, C.; Mann, I.; Allen, M.; Ip, W.; Janssen, M.; Muhleman, D.; Gulkis, S.; Kamp, L.; Despois, D.; Beaudin, G.; Koch, T.; Frerking, M.; Kahn, C.; Salinas, Y.; Nowicki, R.; Irigoyen, R.; Stek, P.; Backus, C.; Deschamps, A.; Krieg, J.; Gheudin, M.; Schloerb, P.; Spilker, T.
United States, France, Germany, Taiwan
Abstract
The European Space Agency Rosetta Spacecraft, launched on March 2, 2004 toward Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, carries a relatively small and lightweight millimeter-submillimeter spectrometer instrument, the first of its kind launched into deep space. The instrument will be used to study the evolution of outgassing water and other molecules from the target comet as a function of heliocentric distance. During flybys of the asteroids (2867) Steins and (21) Lutetia in 2008 and 2010 respectively, the instrument will measure thermal emission and search for water vapor in the vicinity of these asteroids.