RAPID: Refurbishing and Integrating the Relativistic Electron and Proton Telescope integrated little experiment-2 (REPTile-2) into Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA)

星际空间充满了来自银河宇宙射线和太阳的高能粒子。这个快速反应研究（Rapid）项目将对行星际空间的高能粒子进行独特的测量，通过将相对论电子和质子望远镜集成小实验-2 （REPTile-2）集成到阿联酋小行星带任务（EMA）中。这是一个翻新仪器的独特机会，最初是作为NSF立方体卫星计划的一部分开发的，用于与阿拉伯联合酋长国的国际合作的新活跃任务。一名研究生和两名本科生将获得建造、测试和校准太空飞行仪器的实践经验。阿拉伯联合酋长国（UAE）目前正在开发阿联酋小行星带任务（EMA）。科罗拉多大学博尔德大气与空间物理实验室（LASP）是EMA的“知识转移伙伴”，参与航天器总线的构建和科学仪器的集成。EMA将在2028年3月有一个狭窄的发射窗口来执行任务。在2030年初首次飞越小行星之前，该航天器将在金星、地球和火星上执行一系列飞越/重力辅助。此次任务将于2034年10月与第七颗主要小行星贾斯蒂亚（justtia）会合。该项目将支持REPTile-2仪器的翻新，该仪器最初是作为成功的美国国家科学基金会科罗拉多学生空间天气实验（CSSWE）立方体卫星任务的一部分开发的，用于与EMA航天器集成。新的REPTile-3仪器将在129个通道中提供3-100 MeV质子和0.2-5 MeV电子的高能粒子的详细测量。以下科学问题将得到解决：(1)太阳高能粒子（sep）的能谱如何随时间和地点在日球层中演变？(2)在地球空间环境（包括月球表面）附近，sep对能量高达100 MeV的银河宇宙射线（GCR）和异常宇宙射线（ACR）质子的相对贡献是什么？(3)空间天气效应对处于行星际介质或绕地球运行但暴露于sep、gcr和ACRs直接入口的航天器的能谱依赖关系是什么？该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Interplanetary space is permeated by energetic particles from galactic cosmic rays and from the Sun. This Rapid Response Research (RAPID) project will make unique measurements of energetic particles in interplanetary space by integrating the Relativistic Electron and Proton Telescope integrated little experiment-2 (REPTile-2) into the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA). This is a unique opportunity to refurbish instrumentation originally developed as part of the NSF CubeSat program for a new active mission with an international collaboration with the United Arab Emirates. A graduate and two undergraduate students will gain hands-on experience in building, testing, and calibrating the space flight instrument.The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is currently developing the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA). University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) is the “knowledge transfer partner” on EMA, involved with spacecraft bus building and integration of the science instruments. EMA will have a narrow launch window in March 2028 to carry out the mission. The spacecraft will perform a series of flyby/gravity assists at Venus, Earth, and Mars, before the first asteroid flyby in early 2030. The mission will conclude by rendezvousing with a seventh main belt asteroid, Justitia, in October 2034. This project will support refurbishment of the REPTile-2 instrument, originally developed as part of the successful NSF Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment (CSSWE) CubeSat mission, for integration with the EMA spacecraft. The new REPTile-3 instrument will provide detailed measurements of energetic particles from 3-100 MeV protons and 0.2-5 MeV electrons in 129 channels. The following science questions will be addressed: (1) How do the energy spectra of solar energetic particles (SEPs) evolve with time and location in the heliosphere? (2) What is the relative contribution of SEPs vs galactic cosmic ray (GCR) and anomalous cosmic ray (ACR) protons with energies up to 100 MeV near the Earth’s space environment, including Moon’s surface? (3) What is the energy spectrum dependence of space weather effects on spacecraft either in the interplanetary medium or orbiting around the Earth but exposed to direct entrance of SEPs, GCRs, and ACRs?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.