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

行星际空间弥漫着来自银河宇宙射线和太阳的高能粒子。这一快速反应研究项目将通过将相对论电子和质子望远镜集成的小实验2(爬行动物2号)整合到阿联酋小行星带任务中，对行星际空间中的高能粒子进行独特的测量。这是一个独特的机会，可以翻新最初作为国家科学基金会立方体卫星计划的一部分开发的仪器，以便与阿拉伯联合酋长国开展国际合作，执行新的现役任务。一名研究生和两名本科生将在建造、测试和校准太空飞行仪器方面获得实践经验。阿联酋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学大气和空间物理实验室(LASP)是EMA上的“知识转移伙伴”，参与建造航天器母线和集成科学仪器。EMA将在2028年3月有一个狭窄的发射窗口来执行任务。在2030年初第一颗小行星飞越之前，该航天器将在金星、地球和火星执行一系列飞越/重力辅助飞行。这次任务将于2034年10月与第七个主带小行星Justitia会合。该项目将支持翻新爬虫-2号仪器，该仪器最初是作为成功的国家科学基金会科罗拉多学生空间气象实验立方体卫星任务的一部分开发的，以便与欧洲气象局航天器整合。新的爬虫3号仪器将提供129个通道中3-100 MeV质子和0.2-5 MeV电子的详细测量。将讨论以下科学问题：(1)太阳高能粒子(SEP)的能谱是如何随时间和日光层中的位置而演变的？(2)SEPS与能量高达100 MeV的银河系宇宙线(GCR)和接近地球空间环境(包括月球表面)的反常宇宙线(ACR)质子的相对贡献是什么？(3)空间天气对处于行星际介质或绕地球轨道的航天器的能谱影响是什么？该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的学术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.