Measuring box from Switzerland on board

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The “Juice” search for the European Space Agency’s ESA mission to explore the planet Jupiter will be launched soon. A small measuring box developed at the Swiss Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) will also be on board.

It’s a highly complex particle detector weighing three kilograms, as Villigen AG-based PSI announced on Thursday. The inconspicuous box is called “Radem”, which stands for “Radiation-hard Electron Monitor”.

The radiation-proof electron monitor will detect high-energy particles in Jupiter’s harsh environment. “Radem” was developed at the PSI Lab for Particle Physics. Other measuring instruments also fly on the probe to Jupiter.

The detector can trigger the alarm signal

As PSI explains, the hellish radiation conditions in the massive Jupiter magnetic field, which could be absolutely deadly to humans, pose a grave danger to the unmanned space probe and its electronics.

“Some of the electronics were specifically developed for this task and have a high level of radiation resistance,” says PSI lab director Wojciech Hajdas. “However, staying in certain areas for longer periods of time can cause damage.”

To avoid this, the Radem connects directly to the probe’s onboard computer. If the radiation dose exceeds certain values, the detector triggers an alarm signal. As avoidance maneuvers are difficult to perform, particularly sensitive devices can be switched off and thus protected in such situations.

Begins on April 13

In addition to PSI, the University of Bern is the second Swiss institution to support the “Juice” mission. The university developed the so-called neutral-ion mass spectrometer to determine the composition of the lunar atmosphere.

The launch of the “Juice” (Jupiter icy moon rover) probe from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana will take place on April 13. With the measuring instruments on board, he must first look at the larger moons, because there is water under a kilometer-thick ice crust.

According to PSI information, the probe will reach the Jupiter system in July 2031, after an eight-year journey. After that, the four-year mission will begin.

The Jupiter system is located about 780 million kilometers from the sun. A freezing cold and dark world. The temperature indicator on the surface of icy satellites can drop to minus 140 degrees Celsius. (SDA)

Source : Blick