10.18 – Instrumentation for Planetary Exploration Missions

This chapter outlines the exploration strategies and associated techniques for the solar system in both the short and longer terms. Current spaceborne instrumentation based on various measurement principles is explained, ranging from imagers, spectrometers, altimeters to particle and plasma instruments for both, remote-sensing and in situ investigations. The benefits of instrument combinations and integration into instrument suites are discussed and examples of potential exploration suites are given for the investigation of planetary shape, size and mass, their surface and subsurface properties, moons and rings and the analyzing of planetary atmospheres, exospheres, ionospheres, and magnetospheres. Dedicated instrumentation suites for asteroids and comets are also outlined, as well as for the wide field of exobiology. A sample return approach is discussed. A summary of engineering and operational constraints is given, to illustrate the difficulty of final instrument selection for a particular mission. The chapter is concluded with an outlook.