Microwave Instrument for the Rosetta Orbiter (MIRO)

Description

The Microwave Instrument for the Rosetta Orbiter (MIRO) is a microwave spectrometer designed with the following scientific objectives: 1) measure absolute abundance's of major volatile species; 2) characterize the fundamental isotope ratios, 3) quantify the surface outgassing rate; 4) measure the nucleus subsurface temperature and kinetic velocity; 5) measure subsurface temperature of asteroid targets; and 6) search for low levels of gas in the asteroid environment. MIRO is a dual-frequency, heterodyne receiver which can operate simultaneously as both a continuum and very high spectral resolution line receiver. The center band frequencies are 236 GHz (1.3 mm) and 562 GHz (0.5 mm). MIRO is pretuned to observe 21 transitions of nine molecules including water, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and methanol.