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ROSETTA pp 1–67Cite as

OSIRIS: The Scientific Camera System Onboard Rosetta

Abstract

The Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) is the scientific camera system onboard the Rosetta spacecraft. The advanced high-performance imaging system will be pivotal for the success of the Rosetta mission. OSIRIS will detect 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from a distance of more than 106km, characterise the comet shape and volume, its rotational state and find a suitable landing spot for Philae, the Rosetta lander. OSIRIS will observe the nucleus, its activity and surroundings down to a scale of ~2cm per pixel. The observations will begin well before the onset of cometary activity and will extend over months until the comet reaches perihelion. During the rendezvous episode of the Rosetta mission, OSIRIS will provide key information about the nature of cometary nuclei and reveal the physics of cometary activity that leads to the gas and dust coma.

OSIRIS comprises a high-resolution Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) unit and a Wide Angle Camera (WAC) unit accompanied by three electronics boxes. The NAC is designed to obtain high-resolution images of the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko through 12 discrete filters over the wavelength range 250–1,000nm at an angular resolution of 18.6μrad per pixel. The WAC is optimised to provide images of the near-nucleus environment in 14 discrete filters at an angular resolution of 101μrad per pixel. The two units use identical shutter, filter wheel, front door, and detector systems. They are operated by a common Data Processing Unit. The OSIRIS instrument has a total mass of 35kg and is provided by institutes from sixEuropean countries.

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Acknowledgements

The support of the national funding agencies of Germany (DLR), France (CNES), Italy (ASI), Sweden (SNSB), and Spain (MEC) is gratefully acknowledged. Substantial support for the development of the Data Processing Unit was provided by the ESA Technical Directorate through the Technical Research Programme.In addition to the formal co-authors of this paper (comprising lead scientists, Co-Is, project managers, and lead engineers) the project was supported by an enormous number of scientists, engineers, and technicians involved in the day-to-day development of the hardware. These include J. C. Blanc, D. Pouliquen, M. Saisse (France), A. Álvarez, A. L. Arteaga, A. Carretero, M. Fernández, H. Guerrero, P. Gutiérrez, J. L. Lizondo, V. Luengo, J. A. Martín, M. A. Martín, J. Meseguer, J. M. Mi, L. Moreno, J. Navarro, A. Núñez, E. Ragel, D. Rodríguez, G. Rosa, A. Sánchez, J. C. Sanmartin, G. Tonellotto (Spain), W. Boogaerts, W. Engelhardt, K. Eulig, B. Fiethe, A. Fischer, M. Gärtner, K. Gräbig, K. Kellner, A. Kühn, W. Kühn, J. Knollenberg, W. Neumann, J. Nitsch, P. Rüffer, H. Schüddekopf, U. Schühle, I. Sebastian, S. Stelzer, U. Strohmeyer, T. Tzscheetzsch, M. Wassermeyer (Germany), B. Johlander (ESTEC), M. Baessato, P. F. Brunello, S. Casotto, F. Doná, M. Lazzarin, E. Marchetti, F. Marzari, P. G. Nicolosi, F. Peron, F. Rampazzi, B. Saggin, G. Tondello, S. Verani, P. Zambolin† (Italy), J. Lagerros, and B. Davidsson (Sweden).

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Keller, H.U. et al. (2009). OSIRIS: The Scientific Camera System Onboard Rosetta. In: Schulz, R., Alexander, C., Boehnhardt, H., Glaßmeier, KH. (eds) ROSETTA. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-77518-0_14

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