Simulation of the capabilities of an orbiter for monitoring the entry of interplanetary matter into the terrestrial atmosphere

In comparison with existing ground-based camera networks for meteors monitoring, a space-based optical system would escape dependency on weather and atmospheric conditions and would offer a wide spatial coverage and an unrestricted and extinction-free spectral domain. The potential rates of meteor detections by such systems are evaluated in this paper as a function of observations parameters (optical system capabilities, orbital parameters) and considering a reasonable range of meteoroids properties (e.g., mass, velocity, composition) determining their luminosity. A numerical tool called SWARMS (Simulator for Wide Area Recording of Meteors from Space) has been developed. SWARMS is also intended to be used in an operational phase to facilitate the comparison of observations with up-do-date constraints on the flux and characteristics of the interplanetary matter entering our planet's atmosphere. The laws governing the conversion of a fraction of the meteor kinetic energy into radiation during atmospheric entry have been revisited and evaluated based on an analysis of previously published meteor trajectories. Rates of detection were simulated for two different systems: the SPOSH (Smart Panoramic Optical Sensor Head) camera optimized for the observation of transient luminous events, and the JEM-EUSO (Japanese Experiment Module-Extreme Universe Space Observatory) experiment on the ISS (International Space Station). We conclude that up to 6 events per hour in the case of SPOSH, and up to 0.67 events in the case of JEM-EUSO may be detected. The optimal orbit for achieving such rates of detections depends on the mass index of the meteoroid populations. The determination of this parameter appears therefore critical before an optimal orbiting system might be designed for meteors monitoring. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.