Optical design of a combined Raman-laser-induced-breakdown-spectroscopy instrument for the European Space Agency ExoMars Mission

Among the different instruments that have been selected for the Pasteur payload on ExoMars is the Raman - laser- induced-breakdown-spectroscopy ( LIBS ) instrument. The novel, and technologically challenging, feature of this instrument is the integration of both Raman spectroscopy and LIBS techniques in the same hardware. An international team under the lead of TNO has been gathered together to produce a combined Raman- spectrometer - LIBS elegant breadboard. The instrument has been designed around an extremely compact spectrometer with a high resolution over a large wavelength range, which is suitable for both Raman spectroscopy and LIBS measurements. Low mass, size, and power consumption are the main drivers of the instrument design concept. A summary of the functional and environmental requirements together with a description of the optical design and its performance are included. (C) 2008 Society of Photo- Optical Instrumentation Engineers.