Session
Technical Session II: Future Missions 1
Abstract
To ensure the safety of human explorers as well as the health and productivity of robotic systems both in Earth orbit and beyond, it is important to understand and predict the space plasma and radiation-belt particle dynamics in the Earth’s ionosphere and magnetosphere. Increased scientific understanding of how the Earth’s ionosphere and magnetosphere respond to changes due to solar variability will enhance our ability to provide forecasts and “nowcasts” of space weather. To this end, TUI and Penn State are developing a nanosatellite mission concept that utilizes a constellation of CubeSat-class satellites containing in situ radiation, plasma, and magnetic field sensors to produce simultaneous multi-point measurements of the radiation and space plasma environment. Each spacecraft will contain a hybrid plasma probe (comprised of a combination of a Langmuir and plasma frequency probe), total radiation dose and dose-rate dosimeters covering a range of populations, and a magnetometer. Real-time measurements from a constellation of these nanosatellites in the regions of interest would allow simultaneous, system-wide measurements that would help resolve space–time ambiguities in existing radiation and space plasma data sets.
Multipoint In-Situ Radiation and Plasma Sensing System (MIRPSS)
To ensure the safety of human explorers as well as the health and productivity of robotic systems both in Earth orbit and beyond, it is important to understand and predict the space plasma and radiation-belt particle dynamics in the Earth’s ionosphere and magnetosphere. Increased scientific understanding of how the Earth’s ionosphere and magnetosphere respond to changes due to solar variability will enhance our ability to provide forecasts and “nowcasts” of space weather. To this end, TUI and Penn State are developing a nanosatellite mission concept that utilizes a constellation of CubeSat-class satellites containing in situ radiation, plasma, and magnetic field sensors to produce simultaneous multi-point measurements of the radiation and space plasma environment. Each spacecraft will contain a hybrid plasma probe (comprised of a combination of a Langmuir and plasma frequency probe), total radiation dose and dose-rate dosimeters covering a range of populations, and a magnetometer. Real-time measurements from a constellation of these nanosatellites in the regions of interest would allow simultaneous, system-wide measurements that would help resolve space–time ambiguities in existing radiation and space plasma data sets.
