Space Sci Rev
DOI 10.1007/s11214-017-0404-2
On-Ground Performance and Calibration
of the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter CaSSIS Imager
V. Roloff
1,2
· A. Pommerol
1,2
· L. Gambicorti
1,3
· A. Servonet
1
· N. Thomas
1,2
·
M. Brändli
1
· A. Casciello
4
· G. Cremonese
5
· V. Da Deppo
6
· M. Erismann
1
·
I. Ficai Veltroni
7
· M. Gerber
1
· M. Gruber
1
· P. Gubler
1
· T. Hausner
4
· M. Johnson
4
·
P. Lochmatter
4
· E. Pelò
4
· B. Sodor
8
· S. Szalai
8
· G. Troznai
8
· D. Vernani
4
·
T. Weigel
4
· R. Ziethe
1
· C. Zimmermann
1
Received: 28 November 2016 / Accepted: 1 August 2017
© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2017
Abstract The European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) seeks to in-
vestigate the biological or geological origin of trace gases found on Mars. The TGO carries
a payload of four instruments in order to reach its scientific goals, including the Colour
and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS). CaSSIS is a colour and stereo telescopic
camera that will be capable of taking high-resolution images of the martian surface. Before
shipment of the instrument for integration onto the TGO, a detailed calibration campaign
was performed, and a number of calibration products were gathered and utilised as part of
the in-flight calibration campaign. This paper presents the results of on-ground calibration
measurements carried out in order to assess the pre-flight performance of CaSSIS. All indi-
cations are that CaSSIS will perform very well on arrival at Mars and will be successful in
reaching its scientific objectives.
Keywords ExoMars ESA mission · Trace Gas Orbiter · CaSSIS · Calibration · Mars ·
Imaging
ExoMars-16
Edited by Håkan Svedhem and Christopher T. Russell
B V. Roloff
victoria.roloff@space.unibe.ch
1
Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
2
NCCR PlanetS, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
3
Present address: ATG Europe B.V. on behalf of ESA—European Space Agency,
ESA—ESTEC/TEC—MMO, Keplerlaan 1, P.O. Box 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands
4
RUAG Space, Schaffhauserstrasse 580, 8052 Zürich, Switzerland
5
INAF-Osservatorio Astronomicodi Padova, Vicolo Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
6
CNR-IFN Padova, Via Trasea 7, 35131 Padova, Italy
7
Selex ES, Via A. Einstein 35, 50013 Campi Bisenzio, FI, Italy
8
SGF Technology Associates Co. Ltd., Pipiske u. 1-5/20, 1121 Budapest, Hungary