COSIMA

COSIMA (COmetary Secondary Ion MAss spectrometer) is a time-of flight mass spectrometer whose objective is the analysis of the chemical composition of grain that will be captured in the comet’s atmosphere. LISA is collaborating closely with the LPC2E of Orleans (which has a mass spectrometer with characteristics similar to those of the instrument of flight), and the MPI Lindau (laboratory of the COSIMA PI where a ground modelis similar to that flown on the ROSETTA) to prepare the interpretation of mass spectra that will be measured in 2014. Notably, our goal is to analyze the organic component of cometary grain.

(http://www.mps.mpg.de/en/projekte/rosetta/cosima/)

Schematic of the COSIMA instrument