Space performance of the multistage labyrinthine SMEI baffle

Andrew Buffington; Bernard V. Jackson; P. Paul Hick

doi:10.1117/12.615526

24 August 2005 Space performance of the multistage labyrinthine SMEI baffle

Andrew Buffington, Bernard V. Jackson, P. Paul Hick

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 5901, Solar Physics and Space Weather Instrumentation; 590118 (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.615526
Event: Optics and Photonics 2005, 2005, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) was launched on 6 January 2003, and shortly thereafter raised to a nearly circular orbit at 840 km. Three SMEI CCD cameras on the zenith-nadir oriented CORIOLIS spacecraft cover most of the sky beyond about 20°. from the Sun, each 102-minute orbit. Data from this instrument provide precision visible-light photometric sky maps. Once starlight and other constant or slowly varying backgrounds are subtracted, the residue is mostly sunlight that has been Thomson-scattered from heliospheric electrons. These maps enable 3-dimensional tomographic reconstruction of heliospheric density and velocity. This analysis requires 0.1% photometry and background-light reduction below one S10 (the brightness equivalent of a 10th magnitude star per square degree). Thus 10^-15 of surface-brightness reduction is required relative to the solar disk. The SMEI labyrinthine baffle provides roughly 10^-10 of this reduction; the subsequent optics system provides the remainder. We analyze data obtained over two years in space, and evaluate the full system's stray-light rejection performance.

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Andrew Buffington, Bernard V. Jackson, and P. Paul Hick "Space performance of the multistage labyrinthine SMEI baffle", Proc. SPIE 5901, Solar Physics and Space Weather Instrumentation, 590118 (24 August 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.615526

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