MOSCOW, Oct 30 The Dryad experiment will begin on the International Space Station in 2024, the equipment for it includes a short-wave infrared camera that will monitor the state of the carbon balance in the atmosphere and its impact on the environment, the Rostec press service told reporters.
“The Dryad project, which is scheduled to begin in 2024, will make it possible to obtain information about the state of the carbon balance in the atmosphere and its impact on the environment. At the same time, a SWIR camera integrated into a high-resolution echelle spectrometer to record absorption spectra in the near IR range will help determine indicators of the presence of greenhouse gases,” the message says.
The SWIR camera of the Shvabe holding was called “all-seeing” by the press service of the state corporation. It, along with other equipment of the Dryad project, will be installed on the remote platform of the Russian segment of the International Space Station. Cosmonauts will be able to control the camera located outside the station from inside the ISS using a special unit.
Now Shvabe specialists, together with the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the AB Optics company, have begun testing the camera before integration into the system.
As noted by Shvabe general director Vadim Kalyugin, whose words are quoted by the press service, changes in the gas layer of the atmosphere require serious study.
“Modern equipment for space monitoring is characterized by large dimensions and weight, while the Dryad project will be much lighter, but will surpass its analogues in its capabilities. This concept can also be used in future instruments for monitoring the carbon balance from space,” said Kalyugin.
SWIR stands for short wave infrared, that is, a camera operating in the short wave infrared range. The camera operates in the wavelength range of 0.9-1.7 micrometers and therefore works well in poor visibility conditions.
The Dryad project was a continuation of the Rusalka project, which was carried out on the ISS in 2009-2012 and solved environmental problems. The experience gained has allowed us to create more advanced equipment for greenhouse gas research.