What are the most common types of space sensors and instruments used in space systems?

2 Radio sensors

Radio sensors use radio waves to communicate or sense the environment. They can operate in different frequencies, from very low to very high, depending on the application. Some examples of radio sensors are antennas, transponders, radars, and magnetometers. Antennas transmit and receive signals to and from ground stations or other spacecraft, transponders respond to specific signals with coded information, radars use radio waves to map the surface or subsurface of planets or asteroids, and magnetometers measure the magnetic fields of planets or moons.

3 Mechanical sensors

Mechanical sensors use physical forces or motions to detect and measure physical properties of objects or phenomena. They can operate in different modes, such as static or dynamic, depending on the application. Some examples of mechanical sensors are accelerometers, gyroscopes, strain gauges, and pressure sensors. Accelerometers measure the acceleration or deceleration of a spacecraft, gyroscopes measure the orientation or rotation of a spacecraft, strain gauges measure the deformation or stress of a structure, and pressure sensors measure the atmospheric pressure of a planet or moon.

4 Chemical sensors

Chemical sensors use chemical reactions or interactions to detect and measure chemical properties of objects or phenomena. They can operate in different methods, such as electrochemical or optical, depending on the application. Some examples of chemical sensors are gas sensors, biosensors, pH sensors, and humidity sensors. Gas sensors measure the concentration or composition of gases in the atmosphere or in a sample, biosensors measure the presence or activity of biological molecules or organisms, pH sensors measure the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, and humidity sensors measure the moisture level in the air or in a sample.

5 Thermal sensors

Thermal sensors use heat to detect and measure thermal properties of objects or phenomena. They can operate in different principles, such as thermocouple or pyroelectric, depending on the application. Some examples of thermal sensors are temperature sensors, heat flux sensors, infrared sensors, and thermistors. Temperature sensors measure the temperature of a body or a medium, heat flux sensors measure the rate of heat transfer across a surface, infrared sensors measure the infrared radiation emitted by a body or a medium, and thermistors measure the resistance change due to temperature change.