Session
Technical Session VIII: Frank J. Redd Student Scholarship Competition
Abstract
The Relativistic Electron and Proton Telescope integrated l little experiment (REPTile) is a solid-state Particle detector designed to measure solar energetic protons and relativistic electrons in Earth's outer radiation belt. These particles pose a radiation threat to both spacecraft and astronauts in space, and developing a better understanding of these particles has been identified as a critical area of research by NASA's Living with a Star program. REPTile has been designed specifically to meet the requirements for a CubeSat mission, namely the Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment, which is an example of how CubeSat can be employed to provide important scientific measurements for very low cost. This paper focuses on the REPTile design and functionality. The particular difficulties of energetic particle detection are introduced to provide a full understanding of the REPTile design, and then the design itself is covered in detail, including both mechanical and electronic aspects. The paper finishes with a detailed discussion of the various simulations that have been conducted to develop accurate estimates of the detector performance followed by a discussion of the instrument test plan.
Presentation Slides
REPTile: A Miniaturized Detector for a CubeSat Mission to Measure Relativistic Particles in Near-Earth Space
The Relativistic Electron and Proton Telescope integrated l little experiment (REPTile) is a solid-state Particle detector designed to measure solar energetic protons and relativistic electrons in Earth's outer radiation belt. These particles pose a radiation threat to both spacecraft and astronauts in space, and developing a better understanding of these particles has been identified as a critical area of research by NASA's Living with a Star program. REPTile has been designed specifically to meet the requirements for a CubeSat mission, namely the Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment, which is an example of how CubeSat can be employed to provide important scientific measurements for very low cost. This paper focuses on the REPTile design and functionality. The particular difficulties of energetic particle detection are introduced to provide a full understanding of the REPTile design, and then the design itself is covered in detail, including both mechanical and electronic aspects. The paper finishes with a detailed discussion of the various simulations that have been conducted to develop accurate estimates of the detector performance followed by a discussion of the instrument test plan.
