Investigation of the internal
structure of planetary objects has
become a high priority for space
agencies. Consequently, the
potential market for instruments
sounding the planetary internal
structure is huge. In order to keep
and reinforce the European
leadership in this field, innovative
solutions must be developed and
validated.
The main innovations that are developed through this project are to combine rotation and translation measurements, and to improve the performance of planetary seismometers by two orders of magnitude. This is enabled by the use of optical technology in which Europe has a leadership position.
The interior structure of asteroids and planets gives insight into their formation and evolution. This is especially crucial for asteroids that could become a threat to life on Earth. Interior composition and mechanical properties must be known to develop effective countermeasures, and safely perform proximity operations on asteroids with spacecraft.
AEIL is in charge of the design and development of the accelerometer sensors acquisition electronics for the PIONEERS compact instrument. Moreover we design and develop the data acquisition electronics and the power interface electronics for interfacing the PIONEERS compact instrument with the spacecraft platform.