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The Cassini CAPS Electron Spectrometer

Coates, A. J.; Linder, D. R.; Grande, M. +6 more

One of the major aims of the Cassini spacecraft is to characterize in detail the interaction of the solar wind with the Saturnian system. The Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) addresses this aim by measuring the plasma particles, ions and electrons, with a suite of three complementary sensors. One of these, the Electron Spectrometer (ELS), will m…

The Cassini Ion Mass Spectrometer

McComas, D. J.; Young, D. T.; Berthelier, J. -J. +2 more

The joint NASA/European Space Agency Cassini mission to Saturn will carry the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS). This instrument consists of three sensors, including the Ion Mass Spectrometer (IMS), a data processing unit, and an actuator that rotates CAPS in order to view a large fraction of the space environment. The IMS makes high sensitivity,…

The Cassini Ion Mass Spectrometer: Performance Metrics and Techniques

McComas, D. J.; Young, D. T.; Goldstein, R. +7 more

The Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) Ion Mass Spectrometer (IMS) uses a unique electric field configuration coupled with precise sub-nanosecond timing to produce a high mass-resolution plasma analyzer with both broad energy and mass ranges. The IMS maintains a spectrographic mass resolution (m/Δm) of ≥50 over a mass range of 1 to 40amu for singl…

Cassini Plasma Spectrometer Investigation

Coates, A. J.; Grande, M.; Johnson, R. E. +22 more

Cassini/Huygens is a joint project of NASA and the European Space Agency designed to explore the Saturnian system in depth during its four-year mission. Cassini, the orbiter spacecraft, will carry twelve hardware investigations while Huygens, the Titan atmospheric probe, will carry an additional six. The Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS), one of …

The Imaging Neutral Camera for the Cassini Mission to Saturn and Titan

Krimigis, S. M.; Mitchell, D. G.; Roelof, E. C. +8 more

The INCA sensor is the first Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA) imager funded for flight by NASA. It is a part of the Cassini mission to Saturn, where it will be well suited to monitoring the global dynamics of the Saturn-Titan magnetospheric system throughout the orbital tour. The investigative requirement is to perform remote sensing of the magnetosph…