Session
Pre-Conference Poster Session I
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
Thunderstorms produce numerous spontaneous flashes of gamma rays which occur very briefly, with time periods of less than a fraction of a second. These extremely high energy particles have a magnitude similar to radiation worth 400 chest X-rays. These particles are discharged during thunderstorms within very close proximity of airplanes, hence, engaging passengers with a potential threat of extreme radiation exposure. The confirmed association of terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGRF) with thunderstorm activity makes TGRFs are a beneficial area of study with potential for a CubeSat mission. Light-1 is a CubeSat mission proposed to study terrestrial gamma ray flashes by developing and building two payload detectors using a combination of photomultiplier tubes and scintillating crystals. The payload detectors are designed, developed, and tested by the students.
Light-1: A 3U CubeSat for Detecting and Monitoring Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes - System Design and Concept of Operations
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Thunderstorms produce numerous spontaneous flashes of gamma rays which occur very briefly, with time periods of less than a fraction of a second. These extremely high energy particles have a magnitude similar to radiation worth 400 chest X-rays. These particles are discharged during thunderstorms within very close proximity of airplanes, hence, engaging passengers with a potential threat of extreme radiation exposure. The confirmed association of terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGRF) with thunderstorm activity makes TGRFs are a beneficial area of study with potential for a CubeSat mission. Light-1 is a CubeSat mission proposed to study terrestrial gamma ray flashes by developing and building two payload detectors using a combination of photomultiplier tubes and scintillating crystals. The payload detectors are designed, developed, and tested by the students.
