JIRAM mirror issues Options

[volcanopele]

Not really. A lot of the questions an Io mission would seek to answer can't really be answered by the Juno encounters. JunoCam doesn't have the resolution or the image cadence. JIRAM doesn't have the wavelength coverage to do eruption temperature measurements (and the stuck mirror basically makes the spectrometer not all that useful even for the wavelength span it CAN do). The encounter timing and encounter altitude isn't optimized for measuring libration, the induced magnetic field, or gravity field. Don't get me wrong, I am VERY excited about an Io encounter, but no, Juno is not a substitute for a dedicated mission. It does help fill the gap between Galileo/NH and an Io Observer/EC/JUICE. And it definitely adds so much needed data points, like acting as a "scout" for North polar geology.

The bigger concern is that CAPS will do what the Decadal did and think, well, IVO was successful in Discovery so why does it need to be a NF mission, neglecting a lot of programatic issues that helped make IVO successful last go around but won't be successful in the future, like putting Phase E back in the PI-managed cost.

[bobik]

... and the stuck mirror basically makes the spectrometer not all that useful even for the wavelength span it CAN do...

The de-spinning mirror of JIRAM is sticking!? When did this happen?

[volcanopele]

PJ44. Meant that JIRAM missed Europa during last year's flyby. Io data is smeared in PJ47 and PJ44.

EDIT: I should note that the imager data from JIRAM is still quite usable. Our measurements of hotspot intensity from PJ47 weren't affected by the smear. The spectrometer data might not be of much use though....