Demonstration of superconducting sub-millimeter-wave limb emission sounder (SMILES) for observing trace gases in the middle atmosphere using the exposed facility of the Japanese experimental module (JEM) of the international space station

The sub-millimeter wavelength region is advantageous for high-precision observations of trace species in the stratosphere. A Superconducting Sub-Millimeter-wave Limb Emission Sounder (SMILES) is scheduled to demonstrate the measurements of extremely faint sub-millimeter-wave emissions of the atmospheric trace gases on the Exposed Facility (EF) of the Japanese Experimental Module (JEM) of the International Space Station in 2003. The applications of superconductivity and mechanical 4K-refrigerator in space will be demonstrated in the experiment. JEM/SMILES obtains the diurnal and seasonal variability in the global three-dimensional distributions of the stratospheric trace gases for quantitative understanding of the stratospheric ozone depletion and its effect on the climate change with respect to the relationships among chemical reaction processes and their relationships with atmospheric dynamics. JEM/SMILES utilizes the 640GHz band to measure the vertical profiles of trace gases involved in the stratospher...