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W.E. Ward (Dept of Physics, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada), W.A. Gault, G.G. Shepherd, I.C. McDade, M Kowalski (Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science, York University, Toronto, Canada), D.Y. Wang (CRESTech, Toronto, Canada), J.C. McConnell, D. Michelangeli, C. Parkinson (Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, York University, Toront, Canada), J. Caldwell (Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, Toronto, Canada), N. Rowlands, S. Wang (EMS Technologies Canada, Ltd., Ottawa, Canada)
Knowledge of the dynamics is crucial to understanding the behaviour of planetary atmospheres. One technique which has proved valuable for measurements in the terrestrial atmosphere is the field-widened Michelson interferometer. The Wind Imaging Interferometer (G.G. Shepherd, P.I.) on NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite successfully applied this technique and provided ten years of measurements of wind and airglow signatures in the earth's upper mesosphere and thermosphere. To implement such an instrument for a planetary mission requires the miniaturization and optimization of a number of aspects of the instrument. In this paper we report on conceptual designs that have potential for planetary missions. Effort has been concentrated on possible missions to Mars and Venus, although possibilities for a Jupiter mission have also been examined. For Mars and Venus, observations using oxygen recombination emissions and the O2 IR atmospheric band have been studies and are plausible. It is envisioned that a small instrument could be included as part of a future mission to Mars or Venus in the next ten years.
Funding support from the Canadian Space Agency, Space Sciences Division is gratefully acknowledged.