The Modular Multispectral Imaging Array (MMIA) of the ASIM Payload on the International Space Station

Abstract

The Modular Multispectral Imaging Array (MMIA) is a suite of optical sensors mounted on an external platform of the European Space Agency's Columbus Module on the International Space Station. The MMIA, together with the Modular X-and Gamma-ray Sensor (MXGS), are the two main instruments forming the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM). The primary scientific objectives of the ASIM mission are to study thunderstorm electrical activity such as lightning, Transient Luminous Emissions (TLEs) and Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs) by observing the associated emissions in the UV, near-infrared, x-and gamma-ray spectral bands. The MMIA includes two cameras imaging in 337 nm and 777.4 nm, at up to 12 frames per second, and three high-speed photometers at 180-230 nm, 337 nm and 777.4 nm, sampling at rates up to 100 kHz. The paper describes the MMIA and the aspects that make it an essential tool for the study of thunderstorms. The mission architecture is described in Neubert et al.

The ASIM Mission on the International Space Station

“…The higher temporal and spatial resolution of the ASIM measurements relative to past observations (Blanc et al 2004;Sato et al 2015;Frey et al 2016) are expected to make this task simpler and the conclusions more robust. Some specifications of the MMIA sensors are given in Table 2 and in Chanrion et al (2019).…”

“…If the photon count rate exceeds a threshold, the instrument will automatically change from trigger mode to auroral mode. More information on the MMIA and MXGS instruments is given in Østgaard et al (2019), Chanrion et al (2019). The operational-and data access policies are decided by the FST and approved by ESA.…”

“…GOES-R also carries instruments to measure solar radiation and in-situ plasma and field properties relevant for space weather observations. More information on the instruments and missions are given in Østgaard et al (2019), Chanrion et al (2019), Lorenzini et al (2017), Lefeuvre et al (2008), Sarria et al (2017), Cecil et al (2014), Goodman Stephen et al (2013), Mach et al (2007).…”

Theoretical Problems Underlying Sprite Observations of the Planned Taranis Satellite Mission

“…ASIM's MXGS is aimed to detect TGFs; more details on how it works can be found in Østgaard et al (2019). ASIM's MMIA is a pair of microcameras and 3 photometers aimed to visually detect TLEs and lightning activity in the thunderclouds; more details on its properties can be found in Chanrion et al (2019).…”

The Contribution of Sprite Streamers to the Chemical Composition of the Mesosphere‐Lower Thermosphere

“…This vibrational and electronical chemical model allows us to calculate the temporal evolution of the density of N 2 ( B 3 Π g , v = 0, …, 6), N 2 ( C 3 Π u , v = 0, …, 4), and N 2 (a 1 Π g , v = 0, …, 15). Therefore, we can calculate the temporal evolution of the contribution of single sprite streamers to ASIM photometers (PH1: 337 ± 2.5 nm from the SPS, PH2: 180–230 nm from the LBH band) sampling at 100 kHz (Chanrion et al., 2019; Neubert et al., 2019) and TARANIS photometers (PH1: 337 ± 5 nm from the SPS, PH2: 145–280 nm from the LBH band, PH3: 757–765 nm from the FPS, PH4: 600–800 nm from the FPS) sampling at 20 kHz (Lefeuvre et al., 2008).…”