Séminaire
PICARD is a satellite dedicated to the simultaneous measurement of the absolute total and spectral solar irradiance, the diameter and solar shape, and to the Sun's interior probing by the helioseismology method. These measurements obtained throughout the mission will allow study of their variations as a function of solar activity. The objectives of the PICARD mission are to improve our knowledge of the functioning of our star through new observations and the influence of the solar activity on the climate of the Earth. PICARD was launched on June 15, 2010 on a Dnepr-1 launcher from Dombarovskiy Cosmodrome, near Yasny, Russia. The satellite was placed into the heliosynchronous orbit of 730 km with inclination of 98.28 degrees. SODISM(SOlar Diameter Imager and Surface Mapper), an instrument of the PICARD payload, is an 11-cm Cassegrain imaging telescope developed at CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) by LATMOS (Laboratoire, ATmosphere, Milieux, Observations Spatiales) associated with a 2Kx2K CCD (Charge-Coupled Device), taking solar images at five wavelengths. It carries a four-prism system to ensure a metrological control of the optics magnification. The first image of the Sun was taken by SODISM instrument on July 22, 2010. SODISM allows us to measure the solar diameter and shape with an accuracy of a few milliarcseconds, and to perform helioseismologic observations to probe the solar interior. In this presentation, I will describe the space qualification of scientific payload.
alain.sarkissian @ latmos.ipsl.fr