A spaceborne magnetometer tested under extended temperature conditions (experiment MAREMF-OS/MARS-96)

Abstract

The Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences took part in the experiment MAREMF (MARtian Electrons and Magnetic Field) which consists of a dual fluxgate magnetometer (MAREMF-OS and MAREMF-IS) and a 3D electron spectrometer (MAREMF-ES). MAREMF was part of the plasma payload of the Russian MARS-96 mission which unfortunately failed half an hour after launch because of a rocket problem. Digital electronics and firmware of the MAREMF-OS magnetometer were developed at the Space Research Institute, Graz, Austria. The sensor was supplied by the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP), UCLA, USA. The sensor electronics were jointly developed with the IGPP. Due to the expected temperature conditions during cruise phase and the orbit around Mars, an improved low-field temperature test facility for magnetic field sensors was constructed at the Magnetometer Laboratory of the Space Research Institute. It enabled all basic test and calibration measurements for magnetic field sensors within a temperature range of C. Additionally, a three-layer magnetic shielding set generated a low-field environment. The same facility is now used for the development and calibration of a new generation of magnetic field sensors for the ROSETTA mission to comet P/Wirtanen.