RAPID: Science Mission Planning, On-orbit Commissioning and Science Activation of the Ionosphere Thermosphere Scanning Photometer for Ion-Neutral Studies (IT-SPINS) Cubesat Mission

RAPID：用于离子中性研究的电离层热层扫描光度计（IT-SPINS）立方体卫星任务的科学任务规划、在轨调试和科学激活

• 批准号: 2129586
• 负责人: David Klumpar
• 金额: $ 10.99万
• 依托单位: Montana State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-05-01 至 2023-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2129586&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Science; Mission; Planning; orbit

The Ionosphere Thermosphere Scanning Photometer for Ion-Neutral Studies (IT-SPINS) cubesat will provide novel observations of the composition of Earth’s ionosphere, whose variations influence space weather. This RAPID award will support significant mission planning tasks to prepare the recently launched satellite, developed under previous NSF awards, to achieve its scientific goals. Project tasks include identifying optimal science operation modes, commissioning and checking out the satellite upon deployment to its desired orbit, and verifying science operations in order to get the longest possible science mission duration. These are highly time sensitive tasks, necessitating a RAPID grant award. Undergraduate and graduate students at Montana State University will continue to be integral participants in the project. Additionally, students and a faculty member from the Salish Kootenai College (a tribal land-grant community college) will participate in mission planning and satellite operations, advancing diversity in STEM research and education.The primary science goal for the IT-SPINS cubesat investigation is to understand the behavior of the topside transition region of the ionosphere, the boundary wherein oxygen ions in the ionosphere interact with low mass constituents of the Earth’s upper atmosphere through charge exchange collisions. IT-SPINS will profile the oxygen ion distribution in the topside ionosphere from low Earth orbit through remote sensing of 135.6nm emissions from the nighttime ionosphere. Completed under challenging circumstances during the pandemic, the cubesat was launched in February 2021 and is in an interim parking orbit on the International Space Station, from where it will be deployed in May 2021 to its unique orbit for science investigations. This RAPID project capitalizes on previous NSF investments by commissioning the IT-SPINS cubesat and performing science operations testing and evaluation. Owing to the very limited time on orbit prior to reentry of the satellite, it is prudent to perform these tasks before deployment into the desired orbit (for planning and simulations) and as quickly as practical after deployment (for operations evaluations) in order to get the longest possible science mission duration. The scientific broader impact of the mission will be to improve space weather prediction related to dynamic processes in Earth’s ionosphere by increasing understanding of the drivers for spatial and temporal variations in the mass species distribution in the near-Earth plasma environment. By integrating students, including tribal college students, into all aspects of the mission planning, satellite testing, and science operations, this project will broaden participation in space physics and space weather.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

用于离子中性研究的电离层热层扫描光度计 (IT-SPINS) 立方体卫星将提供对地球电离层成分的新颖观测，其变化影响空间天气。该 RAPID 奖项将支持重要的任务规划任务，以准备最近发射的卫星。根据之前的 NSF 奖项，实现其科学目标的项目任务包括确定最佳科学运行模式、在卫星部署到所需轨道后进行调试和检查，以及验证科学运行以获得尽可能长的科学任务。这些都是对时间高度敏感的任务，需要获得 RAPID 资助，蒙大拿州立大学的本科生和研究生将继续成为该项目的重要参与者。 IT-SPINS 立方体卫星调查的主要科学目标是了解电离层顶部过渡区域（氧气边界）的行为电离层中的离子通过电荷交换碰撞与地球上层大气的低质量成分相互作用，IT-SPINS 将通过对夜间电离层的 135.6 纳米发射进行遥感，从低地球轨道上描绘出上层电离层中的氧离子分布。面对疫情期间的挑战，立方体卫星于 2021 年 2 月发射，目前位于国际空间站的临时停泊轨道上，将于 2021 年 5 月部署到该 RAPID 项目利用了 NSF 之前的投资，通过调试 IT-SPINS 立方体卫星并进行科学操作测试和评估，由于卫星重返大气层之前在轨道上的时间非常有限，因此需要谨慎执行。在部署到所需轨道之前（用于规划和模拟）以及部署后尽快完成这些任务（用于运行评估），以获得尽可能长的科学任务持续时间。该任务的科学更广泛影响将是改善空间天气。相关预测通过增加对近地等离子体环境中质量物种分布的空间和时间变化的驱动因素的了解，通过将包括部落大学生在内的学生纳入任务规划、卫星测试和研究的各个方面，研究地球电离层的动态过程。该项目将扩大对空间物理和空间天气的参与。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。