Collaborative Research: CubeSat--Lower Atmosphere/Ionosphere Coupling Experiment (LAICE)

合作研究：CubeSat——低层大气/电离层耦合实验（LAICE）

• 批准号: 1242898
• 负责人: Gregory Earle
• 金额: $ 35.88万
• 依托单位: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-06-01 至 2019-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1242898&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; CubeSat; Lower; Atmosphere

This project is to design, develop, operate, and analyse the results of a 6U CubeSat mission named the Lower Atmosphere/Ionosphere Coupling Experiment (LAICE). The overarching objective to investigate the gravity wave-driven coupling between the terrestrial atmosphere and the lower thermosphere/ ionosphere. In-situ instrumentation will measure the perturbations the waves produce in both neutral and ion densities at F-region heights, while on-board photometers will simultaneously measure the wavelengths and amplitudes of the wave fields in the upper mesosphere. Subsequent modeling coupled with meteorological data will reveal the connections between tropospheric storms and the MLTI system using state-of-the-art ray tracing techniques that include the effects of wave dissipation. The ionospheric ion density and temperature will be measured in-situ via the retarding potential analysis (RPA) technique. The electronics for the RPA will be built at Virginia Tech, but will involve only minor modifications to the flight proven UT Dallas design. The in-situ upper atmospheric neutral gas density will be measured by two distinct sensors: a traditional Bayard-Alpert (BA) ion gauge provided by the Aerospace Corporation, and new, diamond-like carbon (DLC) microtip-based gauge design that is better adapted to the power constraints of a CubeSat mission. The University of Illinois will provide a suite of nadir-viewing photometers to measure perturbations in the O2 (0-0) Atmospheric (A) and O2 Herzberg I (HI) band airglow emissions in the 90-100 km region during the nighttime portion of the orbit.This mission is the first of its kind; no previous satellite experiment has ever been devoted to identifying causal gravity wave links between the lower atmosphere and the ionosphere, and no previous experiment has systematically mapped active gravity wave regions at low and middle latitudes through direct observation of their ionospheric effects. These waves are a vitally important but under-explored facet of atmospheric physics. They strongly influence the dynamics of the media through which they travel by modifying the structure of the atmosphere at altitudes well above their source regions, and they may seed the development of plasma instabilities that scintillate and disrupt radio propagation. The fundamental science goals of the experiment are to: 1) systematically observe gravity waves with large vertical wavelengths at lower F-region heights, and correlate on a global scale remotely-sensed wave-induced airglow perturbations in the upper mesosphere with in-situ measurements of ion and neutral density fluctuations at higher altitudes, and 2) produce global maps of active gravity wave regions in the mid- and low-latitude ionosphere over multiple seasons at all local times, so that global patterns and climatological variations can be quantitatively compared to and correlated with terrestrial weather systems via modeling. The challenging cubesat mission is a high-risk effort but one with immensely high potential pay-off in providing a unique observational dataset of fundamental thermosphere and ionosphere parameters and related cutting-edge scientific findings. Active collaborations between engineering students at Virginia Tech and the University of Illinois will be established during the design, fabrication, integration, and environmental testing of the LAICE payloads and spacecraft; at least 60 undergraduates will participate in one or more phases of the development work, and in subsequent data analysis activities. Strong collaboration will occur between the schools in instrumentation systems, satellite communications, and data analysis. Facilities at both institutions will be used to test, integrate, and calibrate spaceflight hardware, and results will be presented at annual small-spacecraft conferences. All data and scientific findings that flow from the experiment will be made publicly available via a web interface established for this purpose.

该项目旨在设计，开发，操作和分析6U立方体任务的结果，称为低大气/电离层耦合实验（LAICE）。研究重力波驱动的陆地大气和较低热层/电离层之间的重力驱动耦合的总体目标。原位仪器将测量在F-区域高度处的波浪在中性和离子密度中产生的扰动，而车载光度计将同时测量上层中部中波场的波长和振幅。随后的建模以及气象数据将使用最新的射线示踪技术揭示对流层风暴与MLTI系统之间的连接，其中包括波浪耗散的影响。电离层离子密度和温度将通过延迟电势分析（RPA）技术测量。 RPA的电子设备将在弗吉尼亚理工大学建造，但仅涉及对飞行的UT Dallas设计进行的微小修改。 原位的上层大气中性气体密度将通过两个不同的传感器进行测量：航空航天公司提供的传统Bayard-Alpert（BA）离子仪，以及基于新型的钻石碳（DLC）基于新的钻石碳（DLC）的仪表设计，可以更好地适应立方体任务的力量约束。 伊利诺伊大学将提供一套Nadir观看的光度计，以测量O2（0-0）大气（A）和O2 Herzberg I（HI）带气球在90-100公里地区的扰动，在ORBIT夜间任务中的90-100公里地区。以前的卫星实验从未专门用于识别下部大气层和电离层之间的因果重力波连接，并且以前没有通过直接观察其电离层效应在低纬度和中纬度的系统绘制了系统绘制的活动重力区域。 这些波是大气物理学的一个至关重要但探索的方面。 它们通过修改高度远远超过其源区域的大气结构来强烈影响媒体的动态，并可能播种血浆不稳定性的发展，从而刺激和破坏无线电传播。 实验的基本科学目标是：1）系统地观察在较低的F区域处具有较大垂直波长的重力波，并在全球尺度上相关，并在全球范围内与较高的较高层的较高的层次和中性的环境范围内的高度范围内的高度范围内的高度范围内的高度和中性的范围内的高度范围内的高度范围内的高度范围和2个高度范围内的高度范围内的高度范围和2个高度的2次高度范围相关。在所有当地时代的多个季节中，中纬度电离层和低纬度电离层，因此可以通过建模与陆地天气系统进行定量的全球模式和气候变化。 具有挑战性的立方体任务是一项高风险的努力，但在提供基本热层和电离层参数以及相关尖端科学发现的独特观察数据集时，具有极高的潜在回报。 弗吉尼亚理工大学的工程学生与伊利诺伊大学的工程专业学生之间的积极合作将在莱斯有效载荷和航天器的设计，制造，集成和环境测试期间建立；至少有60名本科生将参加开发工作的一个或多个阶段，以及随后的数据分析活动。 学校之间将在仪器系统，卫星通信和数据分析中进行强有力的协作。这两个机构的设施将用于测试，集成和校准太空飞行硬件，结果将在年度小型飞机会议上呈现。 从实验中流出的所有数据和科学发现将通过为此目的建立的Web界面公开提供。