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Therese Encrenaz (DESPA, Paris-Meudon Observatory, France)
The ISO (Infrared Space Observatory) mission was an ESA earth-orbiting satellite devoted to the infrared observation of astronomical sources. The 60-cm helium-cooled telescope was launched in November 1995 and ended its life in May 1998. The satellite was equipped with 4 focal-plane instruments: a camera (CAM, 2.5-17 microns), a photometer (PHT, 2-200 microns) and two spectrometers, SWS (2.3-45 microns) and LWS (45-180 microns). A description of the ISO mission can be found in Kessler et al.(A&A 315 L27, 1996).
Observations with ISO have been performed on all classes of solar-system objects. Several important discoveries have been obtained from the ISO data, in particular with the SWS instrument. A few of them are listed below: (1) a new determination of D/H on the four giant planets; (2) the discovery of an external source of water in the stratospheres of the giant planets and Titan; (3) the detection of CO2 in the stratospheres of Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune; (4) the detection of new hydrocarbons (CH3C2H, C4H2, C6H6, CH3) in Saturn's stratosphere; (5) the detection of tropospheric water in Saturn; (6) the detection of CO2 in comet Hale-Bopp at far heliocentric distances (4.6 AU); (7) the first detection of forsterite (Mg2SiO4) in the dust of comet Hale-Bopp; (7) the determination of the formation temperature of comets Hale-Bopp and Hartley 2 (27 K and 35 K respectively) from the measurement of the ortho-para ratio in their H2O \nu3 emission lines. In addition, ISO spectra of Titan, Io and the other galilean satellites, and asteroids were also recorded; IR photometry was achieved on Pluto, distant comets and zodiacal light. Preliminary results can be found in Crovisier et al. (A&A 315 L385, 1996; Science 275 1904, 1996), Encrenaz et al. (A&A 315 L397, 1996; A&A 333 L43, 1998), de Graauw et al. (A&A 321 L13, 1997), Feuchtgruber et al. (Nature 389 159, 1997), Griffin et al. (A&A 315 L389, 1996), Davis et al. (A&A 315 L393, 1996), Reach et al. (A&A 315 L381, 1996), Bezard et al. (A&A 334 L41, 1998) and Coustenis et al. (A&A 336 L85, 1998).
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