The Odin Mission

Submillimeter Astronomy From Space

Following a recommendation of the Joint Subcommittee for Space Astronomy (JSSA), The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has successfully concluded negotiations for Canadian participation in the Odin mission. This notice is intended to inform Canadian astronomers of this development, to provide a brief summary of Odin, and to seek out potential users.

THE MISSION: Odin was conceived and developed by the Swedes. Canada and France are international partners. Odin is a combined astronomy/aeronomy mission, 50% of the observing time being devoted to astronomy. Canada has a 20% share of the astronomy and a 20% share of the aeronomy. The total contribution by CSA towards Odin is about $15 m, most of which will be channeled to Canadian industry for construction of spacecraft components. Launch is anticipated in 1997. It is likely, therefore, that Odin will be the first CSA- sponsored astronomy experiment to fly (the other CSA- supported astronomy missions are LYMAN, RADIOASTRON, and SPECTRUM X-Gamma). The duration of the mission is not yet firm, but may be about two years. The antenna will be in the one- meter class: The best current estimate is a diameter of 1.1 meters.

Four submillimeter bands will be accessible, centred on 495, 548, 555, and 571 GHz. The radiometer will provide a 17 GHz tuning range about each of these four frequencies and an instantaneous bandwidth of 1 GHz. There will be a fifth band in the millimeter range, centred on 119 GHz. The spatial resolution at submillimeter wavelengths will be about 2.5 arcminutes.

THE SCIENCE: Many molecular and atomic lines of astronomical interest will be accessible. Some of the most interesting are transitions of H2O, O2, CO, CI, CS, H2S, and NH3. A major goal will be the study of oxygen chemistry using water and molecular oxygen. These species are key to the oxygen budget but neither is detectable from the ground. Odin observations will have an impact on a wide range of subjects, including:

molecular cloud chemistry
shock chemistry
star-forming cores
circumstellar envelopes
interstellar grains
photodissociation regions
comets
planetary atmospheres
extragalactic molecules

Important organizational questions are still under discussion. It is likely that several scientific areas will be identified and, for each, an international science team will be selected. JSSA has formed a Canadian Science Working Group consisting of:

Sun Kwok (U. of Calgary and Chair)
Mike Fich (U. of Waterloo)
George Mitchell (Saint Mary's U.)
Chris Rogers (DRAO)
Slavek Rucinski (York/ISTS)

Odin is a general purpose instrument that can address a wide range of important scientific questions. We would like to solicit your input to the observing program. Please identify for us projects that you think will be suitable for Odin. These ideas will be brought forward at international science planning meetings.

George Mitchell and Sun Kwok. (on behalf of the Odin Science Working Group) mitchell@husky1.stmarys.ca or kwok@iras.ucalgary.ca

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Please e-mail any suggestions/comments to Jack Penfold (jpenfold@mtroyal.ab.ca)