Instruments summary | NIRS | MIRS | FILM | FIRP
The Infrared Telescope in Space (IRTS) is a cryogenically cooled small infrared telescope that will fly aboard the small space platform Space Flyer Unit. It will survey approximately 10% of the sky with a relatively wide beam during its 20 day mission. Four focal-plane instruments will make simultaneous observations of the sky at wavelengths ranging from 1 to 1000 microns. The IRTS will provide significant information on cosmology, interstellar matter, late-type stars, and interplanetary dust. This paper describes the instrumentation and mission.
| Weight |
Total Weight : 183 kg Cryostat : 128 kg FPI+telescope : 9 kg Electronics : 16 kg Support structure : 18 kg Others : 12 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 93cm diameter (cryostat) x 135 cm (including aperture shade) |
| Power consumption | 80 W maximum |
| Cryostat |
Superfluid helium, 90 liters FPI temperature : 1.9 K Cold lifetime : > 35 days after launch |
| Telescope |
15 cm diameter F/4 Richey-Chretien type Effective collecting area : 113 cm2 |
| FPIs |
Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NIRS) Mid-Infrared Spectrometer (MIRS) Far-Infrared Line Mapper (FILM) Far-Infrared Photometer (FIRP) |
| Telemetry | Data rate : 6 kbits/s (visible orbit), 3 kbits/s (invisible orbit) |
| Observation | 20 days, uniform sky survey |
| Sky coverage | Approximately 10% of the entire sky |
Four scientific instruments are installed in the focal plane of the telescope together with a near-IR sar sensor.
For more details, refer to the following publications.