Session
Technical Poster Session 1: Student Poster Competition
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
Spatially and temporally varying plasma in the ionosphere refracts passing electromagnetic waves, affecting services including over-the-horizon radar, global positioning systems, and long-distance amateur radio communication. The reliability of these services requires accurate measurements of the charge density of ionospheric plasma. Current methods for estimating ionospheric charge density include ground-based radar soundings in the high frequency (HF) band and airglow limb sensing, typically in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectrum. SIRVLAS is a low-cost, compact instrument suite for these measurements designed by blair3sat, a high school satellite team based in Montgomery County, Maryland. It takes electron density measurements below the F peak of the ionosphere by receiving ionosonde soundings with an onboard VHF antenna and measuring airglow with a limb-view scanner. The payload will take measurements from many locations along its orbital path, enabling high-accuracy electron density mappings in previously unmapped regions. In addition, data correlation between the radar receiver and the airglow detector allows for verification of the instruments’ operation and increased accuracy of local mappings. blair3sat plans to launch a 1U CubeSat in 2022 to demonstrate the feasibility of SIRVLAS. SIRVLAS’ novel method of ionospheric electron density data collection can be utilized on future missions to extend and enhance global ionospheric databases, essential for many radio services and applications. The presence of VHF antenna systems on existing satellites similar to the antenna system on SIRVLAS may allow SIRVLAS RF measurements to be implemented on many satellites using a software modification, allowing existing fleets to contribute towards ionospheric datasets.
Space-Based Ionosonde Receiver and Visible Limb-Viewing Airglow Sensor (SIRVLAS): A CubeSat Instrument Suite for Enhanced Ionospheric Charge Density Measurements
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Spatially and temporally varying plasma in the ionosphere refracts passing electromagnetic waves, affecting services including over-the-horizon radar, global positioning systems, and long-distance amateur radio communication. The reliability of these services requires accurate measurements of the charge density of ionospheric plasma. Current methods for estimating ionospheric charge density include ground-based radar soundings in the high frequency (HF) band and airglow limb sensing, typically in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectrum. SIRVLAS is a low-cost, compact instrument suite for these measurements designed by blair3sat, a high school satellite team based in Montgomery County, Maryland. It takes electron density measurements below the F peak of the ionosphere by receiving ionosonde soundings with an onboard VHF antenna and measuring airglow with a limb-view scanner. The payload will take measurements from many locations along its orbital path, enabling high-accuracy electron density mappings in previously unmapped regions. In addition, data correlation between the radar receiver and the airglow detector allows for verification of the instruments’ operation and increased accuracy of local mappings. blair3sat plans to launch a 1U CubeSat in 2022 to demonstrate the feasibility of SIRVLAS. SIRVLAS’ novel method of ionospheric electron density data collection can be utilized on future missions to extend and enhance global ionospheric databases, essential for many radio services and applications. The presence of VHF antenna systems on existing satellites similar to the antenna system on SIRVLAS may allow SIRVLAS RF measurements to be implemented on many satellites using a software modification, allowing existing fleets to contribute towards ionospheric datasets.
