Session
Technical Session VIIIA: Innovative Mission Operations Concepts
Abstract
An overview of the United States Air Force Academy’s (USAFA’s) FalconSat-2, a nanosatellite designed to investigate F region ionospheric plasma depletions, is presented. Instruments aboard FalconSat-2 will sample in situ plasma density and temperature at a rate of 10 Hz and 1.0 Hz, respectively. The choice of sampling rate provides for resolution of 2-10 km plasma depletions, important since plasma anisotropies of this scale size are known to disrupt Ultra High Frequency (UHF) radio transmissions. A novel sensor, the Miniature Electrostatic Analyzer (MESA), is presently under development by USAFA faculty and will be used to measure plasma density with its heritage flight aboard FalconSat-2. In addition, a traditional electron Retarding Potential Analyzer (RPA) will be used to measure plasma temperature and density, the latter of which will be used to validate the MESA performance on orbit. The mission’s scientific objectives require a low altitude (300-500 km), medium inclination (45 degrees) orbit; these requirements, coupled with the availability of launch opportunities through the Space Shuttle’s Hitchhiker Program, provide motivation to develop the FalconSat-2 mission for launch via the Hitchhiker’s Palette Ejection System (PES). The satellite bus design consists of a mixture of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) hardware and original design by USAFA cadets and faculty. Details of the mission and satellite design, as well as key challenges uniquely pertinent to undergraduate satellite programs, are addressed.
A Nanosatellite Mission to Investigate Equatorial Ionospheric Plasma Depletions: The U. S. Air Force Academy’s FalconSat-2
An overview of the United States Air Force Academy’s (USAFA’s) FalconSat-2, a nanosatellite designed to investigate F region ionospheric plasma depletions, is presented. Instruments aboard FalconSat-2 will sample in situ plasma density and temperature at a rate of 10 Hz and 1.0 Hz, respectively. The choice of sampling rate provides for resolution of 2-10 km plasma depletions, important since plasma anisotropies of this scale size are known to disrupt Ultra High Frequency (UHF) radio transmissions. A novel sensor, the Miniature Electrostatic Analyzer (MESA), is presently under development by USAFA faculty and will be used to measure plasma density with its heritage flight aboard FalconSat-2. In addition, a traditional electron Retarding Potential Analyzer (RPA) will be used to measure plasma temperature and density, the latter of which will be used to validate the MESA performance on orbit. The mission’s scientific objectives require a low altitude (300-500 km), medium inclination (45 degrees) orbit; these requirements, coupled with the availability of launch opportunities through the Space Shuttle’s Hitchhiker Program, provide motivation to develop the FalconSat-2 mission for launch via the Hitchhiker’s Palette Ejection System (PES). The satellite bus design consists of a mixture of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) hardware and original design by USAFA cadets and faculty. Details of the mission and satellite design, as well as key challenges uniquely pertinent to undergraduate satellite programs, are addressed.
