Collaborative Research: RAPID--Dynamic Ionosphere CubeSat Experiment (DICE) Operations and Data Processing

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This is a short term (less than one-year) effort to develop and implement an accurate operational attitude determination algorithm for the NSF Dynamic Ionosphere CubeSat Experiment (DICE) space weather mission. It will support the development of required software modules as well as continued operation of the two DICE satellites. Completion of the software modules will result in corrected calibrated electron density and temperature data from the Langmuir Probes onboard the satellites. More importantly, it will also enable an operational capability to retrieve the satellite attitude information so that both satellites can be reliably steered into the appropriate orientation for the E-field booms to be successfully deployed. This, in turn, will enable E-field measurements to be obtained, and the full science mission to be completed.The tasks will be carried out as a collaborative effort between scientists and engineers at Utah State University (USU), Atmospheric & Space Tech Research Associates, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). The project will promote education and learning by involving students at USU and ERAU in both the satellite operations and data analysis tasks.The Dynamic Ionosphere Cubesat Experiment (DICE) is one of the first NSF Cubesat missions to be selected and flown. The DICE project consists of two CubeSats, weighing less than 2.2 kg each, which were launched into a highly eccentric low Earth orbit on October 28, 2011. Together the DICE CubeSats measure gradients of electric fields and electron densities in the ionosphere. The main science goal of the DICE project is to study the causes of storm enhanced densities (SED), which is a major space weather disturbance and concern.