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立方体卫星将对地球电离层的组成进行新的观测，电离层的变化影响空间气象。 该RAPID奖将支持重大的使命规划任务，以准备最近发射的卫星，根据以前的NSF奖，以实现其科学目标。 项目任务包括确定最佳科学运行模式，在部署到所需轨道时调试和检查卫星，并验证科学运行，以获得尽可能长的科学使命持续时间。 这些都是时间高度敏感的任务，需要快速赠款。蒙大拿州立大学的本科生和研究生将继续成为该项目的主要参与者。此外，学生和一名教师从萨利希库特奈学院（一个部落赠地社区学院）将参与使命规划和卫星运营，推进STEM研究和教育的多样性。IT-SPINS立方体卫星调查的主要科学目标是了解电离层顶侧过渡区的行为，电离层中的氧离子通过电荷交换碰撞与地球高层大气的低质量成分相互作用的边界。 IT-SPINS将通过对夜间电离层的135.6纳米发射进行遥感，从低地球轨道描绘顶侧电离层中氧离子的分布。 该立方体卫星于2021年2月发射，目前位于国际空间站的临时停泊轨道，并将于2021年5月从国际空间站部署到其独特的轨道进行科学调查。 该RAPID项目通过委托IT-SPINS立方体卫星并进行科学操作测试和评估来利用NSF以前的投资。 由于卫星再入之前在轨道上的时间非常有限，谨慎的做法是在部署到所需轨道之前（用于规划和模拟）和部署之后尽可能快地（用于运行评估）执行这些任务，以便获得尽可能长的科学使命持续时间。 该使命在科学方面的广泛影响将是，通过增进对近地等离子体环境中物质种类分布时空变化驱动因素的了解，改进与地球电离层动态过程有关的空间气象预测。 通过将学生，包括部落大学生，融入使命规划，卫星测试和科学运作的各个方面，该项目将扩大空间物理和空间天气的参与。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为是值得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的支持。