CubeSat: Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment

这个为期三年的跨学科团队的目标是建造和运行一个小型的所谓立方体卫星航天器。 携带高能粒子传感器的3U立方体卫星的目的是解决与近地空间环境中太阳耀斑、高能粒子和地磁暴之间的关系有关的基本空间气象科学问题。粒子仪器是相对论电子和质子望远镜集成小实验（REPTile）。REPTile设计用于测量高能质子（10 - 40 MeV）和电子（0.5 - 3 MeV）的定向差分通量。 该仪器是目前正在大气和空间物理实验室为美国航天局/辐射带风暴探测器使命研制和建造的相对论电子和质子望远镜的小型化。 将测量太阳高能粒子事件期间来自太阳和地球辐射带的高能质子和电子。高能粒子测量将与其他航天器的太阳耀斑测量结合使用，NASA的太阳动力学观测台极紫外线变率实验和NOAA的GOES-太阳X射线成像仪，以研究耀斑参数和SEP特征之间的相关性。该项目的具体科学目标是调查太阳高能粒子、耀斑和日冕物质抛射之间的关系，并确定地球辐射带电子变化的特征。空间气象是指可能影响天基和地基技术系统性能和可靠性的空间条件。了解在地面观测到的SEP与太阳耀斑和日冕物质抛射之间的关系，最终导致SEP事件的预测，这是一个高度优先的空间气象研究目标，充分描述地球辐射带电子变化的特征也是如此。 此外，微型REPTile仪器的开发将促进未来由小型（立方体大小）航天器星座进行的空间气象研究和监测，并展示纳米卫星作为空间气象监测器的实用性，该项目将追求科学发现，同时提供独特和鼓舞人心的教育机会。 它依赖于广泛的本科生和研究生参与使命的各个方面。 这是航空航天工程科学系与科罗拉多大学大气和空间物理实验室之间的合作努力，其中包括学生，教师和专业工程师的整合。 该项目的重点是目前现有的空间硬件设计课程。立方体卫星任务所涉及的新技术基本上未经证实，这本身就使该项目与重大风险联系在一起。然而，另一方面，该项目具有巨大的潜力，不仅在其自身的研究领域，而且在更大的空间科学和大气研究领域以及航空航天工程和教育领域都具有变革性。

The objective of this three-year cross-disciplinary team effort is to build and operate a tiny, so-called CubeSat, spacecraft. The purpose of the 3U Cubesat carrying an energetic particle sensor is to address fundamental space weather science questions relating to the relationship between solar flares, energetic particles, and geomagnetic storms in the near Earth space environment. The particle instrument is the Relativistic Electron and Proton Telescope integrated little experiment (REPTile). REPTile is designed to measure directional differential flux of energetic protons, 10-40 MeV, and electrons, 0.5 to 3 MeV. The instrument is a miniaturization of the Relativistic Electron and Proton Telescope (REPT) currently being developed and built at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) for the NASA/Radiation Belt Storm Probe (RBSP) mission. Energetic protons and electrons coming from both the Sun during Solare Energetic Particle (SEP) events and the Earth's radiation belt will be measured. The energetic particle measurements will be used in conjunction with solar flare measurements from other spacecraft, e.g., NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment and current NOAA's GOES-Solar X-ray Imager, to investigate the correlations between flare parameters and SEP characteristics. The specific science objectives for the project are to investigate the relationships between solar energetic particles, flares, and coronal mass ejections, and to characterize the variations of the Earth's radiation belt electrons. Space weather refers to conditions in space that can influence the performance and reliability of space-borne and ground-based technological systems. Understanding the relationships between SEPs observed at the ground and solar flares and CMEs, eventually leading to the prediction of SEP events, is a high priority space weather research goal, as is the full characterization of the variations of the Earth's radiation belt electrons. In addition, the development of the miniature REPTile instrument will facilitate future space weather research and monitoring conducted by constellations of small (cubesat-sized) spacecraft and demonstrate the usefulness of nano-satellites as space weather monitors.The project will pursue scientific discovery while providing unique and inspiring educational opportunities. It relies on extensive undergraduate and graduate student involvement through all aspects of the mission. This is a collaborative effort between the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, which includes the integration of students, faculty, and professional engineers. The project is focused around a currently existing space hardware design course. The new, largely unproven technology involved in cubesat missions, inherently makes the project associated with significant risks. On the other hand, however, the project has tremendous potential to be transformational not only within its own research area but also for the larger field of space science and atmospheric research as well as within aerospace engineering and education.