Rosetta Alice Ultraviolet Spectrograph Flight Operations and Lessons Learned

TL;DR

This paper reviews the operations and lessons learned from ESA's Rosetta Alice ultraviolet spectrograph, providing insights for future cometary missions with ultraviolet instruments and multi-instrument payloads.

Contribution

It documents operational experiences, challenges, and lessons learned from the Alice instrument during the Rosetta mission, offering guidance for future ultraviolet spectrograph missions.

Findings

Successful measurement of cometary gas properties and evolution

Operational constraints and interface challenges documented

Lessons learned to improve future ultraviolet spectrograph missions

Abstract

This paper explores the uniqueness of ESA Rosetta mission operations from the Alice instrument point of view, documents lessons learned, and suggests operations ideas for future missions. The Alice instrument mounted on the Rosetta orbiter is an imaging spectrograph optimized for cometary far-ultraviolet (FUV) spectroscopy with the scientific objectives of measuring properties of the escaping gas and dust, and studying the surface properties, including searching for exposed ices. We describe the operations processes during the comet encounter period, the many interfaces to contend with, the constraints that impacted Alice, and how the Alice science goals of measuring the cometary gas characteristics and their evolution were achieved. We provide details that are relevant to the use and interpretation of Alice data and published results. All these flight experiences and lessons learned will be useful for future cometary missions that include ultraviolet spectrographs in particular, and multi-instrument international payloads in general.