To do this, we need to focus on the technology they use and how it processes light to create an image, which is very similar to how we take photos on Earth. First, though, we need to know a little bit more about light itself.

The video described different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation and how we use and experience them in our everyday lives. We use this radiation to heat our homes, see the world around us, and communicate over long distances. Some wavelengths of this radiation can be harmful to us, but also when used carefully, give us technologies such as medical X-rays.

We have evolved to take advantage of the plentiful visible light provided to the Earth by the Sun, but if we want to see things beyond our local environment, like other planets or distant galaxies, we need to either enhance our vision by using ground-based telescopes, or send a camera up into space to take a closer look. Watch the next video which outlines how cameras work to capture what we see.

Now we've looked at how we use sensors in cameras to capture and record electromagnetic radiation, let's have a look at how scientists at The Open University test these sensors that go on space missions, to make sure they are capable of capturing accurate images. Ben Dryer, Space Instrumentation Research Fellow, talks about the types of sensors we use to image space.

One of the leading manufacturers of scientific image sensors for space applications is Teledyne e2v, based in the UK. The Centre for Electronic Imaging (CEI), a research group at The Open University, collaborates closely with Teledyne e2v to perform detailed testing of their image sensors to understand and improve their operation in the space environment.

To do this, they design and operate specialised equipment which allows them to simulate the image sensors’ operating environment in space, and test their performance after exposure to radiation. Let's now have a look at this equipment and the effects that can be seen on image sensors in space.

JUICE mission

The CEI at The Open University works on image sensors that go into cameras on a range of space missions, some of which look back down at the Earth to learn more about things like climate change, and others that look at planets in our solar system or stars in distant galaxies to learn more about our universe.

One of these missions, the European Space Agency’s JUICE, is going to perform detailed studies of Jupiter and its icy moons. In the next video, CEI Research Fellow Chiaki Crews introduces the challenges of operating a scientific camera in the harsh radiation environment around Jupiter.

We’ve seen that a major concern of the team behind the scientific camera on board JUICE was whether their image sensor, along with other sensitive components, would survive and continue to produce accurate images. The easiest way to mitigate radiation damage is to provide a lot of shielding around such sensitive components - using a heavy material like lead, tantalum, or tungsten to block harmful radiation. However, there are two main drawbacks to this approach.

Firstly, it is costly to launch anything into space - approximately $1 million for each kilogram of payload, so using such materials inflates mission costs very quickly. Secondly, you still need an open aperture  to allow light to reach your image sensor, so you are never able to fully shield the camera.

At The Open University, we subject the image sensors to the types of radiation we expect to find in space, to understand how their image quality degrades over the mission lifetime. This information is fed back to the team building the camera, so that they can make decisions about the level of shielding to use.

Teledyne e2v

Now that we've talked about the work that we do at The Open University to test the performance of image sensors in space, watch the final video where Natalie Starkey talks with Jerome Pratlong, Chief Engineer at Teledyne e2v, to understand the industry perspective on additional testing required to ensure cameras can be launched and operated in space without issue.

This article described the research and work at The Open University’s CEI that contributes to the success of scientific space missions flown by space agencies worldwide. See the links below for more information.

• Study with the OU
• Teledyne e2v
• The Open University's Centre for Electronic Imaging