Mariner 10 ultraviolet spectrometer: airglow experiment

An extreme ultraviolet airglow spectrometer was flown on Mariner 10 to examine the atmosphere of Venus and Mercury. An objective grating spectrometer was used with channel electron multipliers at fixed positions in the image plane to continuously monitor the resonance-scattered emission rate of expected atomic atmospheric constituents He, H, A, Ne, O and C. A mechanical collimator placed in the entrance aperture of the spectrometer provided spectral separation of 19 A over the wavelength range from He+ at 304 A to C at 1657 A and provided spatial separation of 0.1250 consistent with the spacecraft and trajectory capabilities. The calibration techniques are discussed. (Auth.)