All 2015 Content
Session
Technical Session XII: Science/Mission Payloads
Abstract
Variations of gas density and composition in Earth’s thermosphere and ionosphere are key indicators of interactions between different layers of Earth’s atmosphere. The nature of interactions between neutral and ion species in the upper atmosphere is an active area of study in Heliophysics and there is much to learn about the dynamic relationship between the ionosphere and neutral thermosphere. Mass spectrometers are among an array of instruments used to explore Earth’s upper atmosphere and other space environments. Mass spectrometers developed for small satellites would potentially dramatically reduce the cost of future missions and provide data with the spatial resolution required for sophisticated studies of complex atmospheric dynamics. Studies of atmospheric density and composition with multiple locations for each time point could be performed by CubeSat swarms if proper instrumentation were available to fit CubeSat payload restrictions. This design for a miniaturized time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer (MS) will have a mass resolution and range sufficient for measuring the composition of Earth’s thermosphere and ionosphere while operating within the power and space constraints of a CubeSat. The design includes a miniature electronic gating device called a Bradbury-Nielsen gate (BNG). Analysis has shown that the open time for this gating device may significantly degrade the instrument performance and that the gate pulse width should be minimized. This work details the design of an electronic driver for a miniature BNG intended to create gate pulses on the order of nanoseconds.
BNG Driver for a Miniaturized Time-of-Flight Reflectron Mass Spectrometer for Upper Atmosphere Composition Measurements
Variations of gas density and composition in Earth’s thermosphere and ionosphere are key indicators of interactions between different layers of Earth’s atmosphere. The nature of interactions between neutral and ion species in the upper atmosphere is an active area of study in Heliophysics and there is much to learn about the dynamic relationship between the ionosphere and neutral thermosphere. Mass spectrometers are among an array of instruments used to explore Earth’s upper atmosphere and other space environments. Mass spectrometers developed for small satellites would potentially dramatically reduce the cost of future missions and provide data with the spatial resolution required for sophisticated studies of complex atmospheric dynamics. Studies of atmospheric density and composition with multiple locations for each time point could be performed by CubeSat swarms if proper instrumentation were available to fit CubeSat payload restrictions. This design for a miniaturized time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer (MS) will have a mass resolution and range sufficient for measuring the composition of Earth’s thermosphere and ionosphere while operating within the power and space constraints of a CubeSat. The design includes a miniature electronic gating device called a Bradbury-Nielsen gate (BNG). Analysis has shown that the open time for this gating device may significantly degrade the instrument performance and that the gate pulse width should be minimized. This work details the design of an electronic driver for a miniature BNG intended to create gate pulses on the order of nanoseconds.
