Technical Sessions

Session I: Mission Payloads

Chair: Scott Palo, University of Colorado

Monday, August 9, 2010

3:00 p.m. A Design Overview of a Space-Based Chromotomographic Hyperspectral Imaging Experiment

Todd Book, William Starr, Arthur Morse, Steven Miller, Jonathan Black, Eric Swenson, Richard Cobb, Carl Hartsfield – Air Force Institute of Technology

ABSTRACT: Hyperspectral imagery (HSI) has largely been developed to monitor static scenes or slowly changing events. To provide an additional responsive space-based capability, a novel spectrometer that can characterize highly-transient events is proposed. Chromotomography (CT) is a technology that enables HSI to detect and classify fast transient combustion events. An experimental space-based CT imager is currently being constructed at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). The space-based CT imager is being designed as a small payload that will operate from the Exposed Facility (EF) of the Japanese Experimental Module (JEM) on the International Space Station (ISS). The collected data from the space-based experimental payload will validate the science of CT and demonstrate the multifunctional applications of the instrument.

3:15 p.m.Thermal Ion Instrumentation for CubeSat Missions

Gregory Earle, Ryan Davidson, Michael Perdue - University of Texas at Dallas

ABSTRACT: Retarding potential analyzers (RPAs) have been built by the William B. Hanson Center for Space Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and validated on a host of ionospheric science missions since the late 1960s. Recently the design has been adapted for accommodation on CubeSats and other small satellite platforms. These adaptations include redesign of the mechanical sensors and electronics to create a new instrument that is quicker and easier to assemble than the systems flown on previous missions, while retaining much of their functionality. The new RPA design has undergone limited environmental testing at the subsystem level, and is currently being readied for functional testing in a space simulation vacuum system using a new LabView controlled ion beam source. This paper describes the important design changes, validation tests, technical specifications, and performance metrics for the new instrument.

3:30 p.m. The Cubesat Heliospheric Imaging Experiment (CHIME)

Craig DeForest , John Dickinson, Juan Aguayo, John Andrews, Michael Epperly, Tim Howard, Joe Peterson, Jennifer Alvarez, Michael Pilcher – Southwest Research Institute; Craig Kief, Steve Suddarth – Configurable Space Microsystems Innovations & Applications Center; James Tappin – National Solar Observatory

ABSTRACT: We describe a CubeSat mission to predict and diagnose space weather events at Earth by tracking the interplanetary disturbances that cause those effects. Our demonstration mission, the CubeSat Heliospheric Imaging Experiment (CHIME), is a wide-field sky camera that can image large, tenuous clouds of material as they cross the inner solar system en-route to Earth. These clouds, such as interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs), are produced by magnetic activity on the surface of the Sun, and consist of billions of tons of magnetized plasma that streak across the solar system at up to 8 million km/hour. Impact of ICMEs on the Earth’s magnetosphere is the main cause of magnetic storms, aurora, ionospheric radio interference, intermittent satellite radiation exposure, and related space weather activity at Earth.

ICME tracking requires modest resolution and data rates, and is well suited to the CubeSat platform. CHIME will enable ongoing developmental space weather prediction, demonstrate the heliospheric imaging concept on the CubeSat platform, and advance the state of CubeSat readiness for many applications. Further, CHIME is a stepping stone to an agile, operational space weather imaging system, using moderate numbers of extremely inexpensive, redundant spacecraft to achieve robust operational reliability from commercial grade parts.

3:45 p.m.Hyperspectral/Hypertemporal Compact Sensor for Small Satellite Applications

Ara Dergevorkian, Kevin McKee – ATK Aerospace Systems

ABSTRACT: ATK has developed a unique high-speed Michelson FTIR ground-based sensor capable of collecting chemical spectra at 1000 interferograms per second at 4cm-1 spectral resolution. This resolution can provide remote detection and analysis of chemical products from energetic reactions where multiple unknowns are mixed with the reaction products. This paper describes the current efforts under way at ATK to modify this sensor for space-based applications. The resultant small satellite payload would be a rapid spectrum-collection instrument capable of collecting time-changing chemical signatures that are unique to various reactions and targets. Examples where very high-speed temporal-spectral information is needed is standoff chemical detection and diagnostics of test stand rocket motor tests for performance and materials selection determinations, used for technology assessment. The proposed payload will offer a variable frame rate up to 1000 frames per second with 4cm-1 resolution from 2 to 25 micron bands.

4:00 p.m. Spectral Imaging Payload for Nanosatellite Earth Observation

Brian Solheim, Hugh Chesser, Regina Lee, Kenneth Sinclair, Guy Benari – CRESS Space Instrumentation Laboratory, York University

ABSTRACT: The concept of a novel spectrometer suitable for integration into a nanosatellite is presented. These spectrometers offer high resolution, increased throughput (étendue) and no moving parts. A lab prototype of the spectrometer design has been built to characterize the ability of the new slab waveguide technology for application in remote sensing instruments aboard nanosatellite platforms. The spectrometer will have a nadir view to detect the 1.6665µm waveband allowing global total column measurements of methane.

Aspects of the instrument design important for integration into the planned YUsend-2 nanosatellite platform are presented. Focus is given to derivation of instrument requirements such as operational temperature range which constrain the nanosatellite design. The datarate, viewing configuration, pointing requirements and the power consumption are also discussed.

4:15 p.m. A CubeSat Constellation to Investigate the Atmospheric Drag Environment

Eric Sutton, Chin Lin, Frank Marcos, David Voss – Air Force Research Laboratory; Odile Clavier – Creare Inc.

ABSTRACT: The value of CubeSats to the scientific community depends on the availability and quality of suitable miniature scientific instruments. We introduce one such instrument capable of measuring total atmospheric density within the envelope of a 3U CubeSat. The Atmospheric Drag Environment Sensor (ADES), to be flown on a constellation of CubeSats, is a miniaturized version of accelerometer technologies that have been used to study the upper atmosphere since the dawn of the space age. ADES is designed to measure at the 10 nano-g level, while occupying a space of less than 10x10x10cm. The remainder of the 3U CubeSat will be dedicated to the attitude determination and control, power production and storage, telemetry, data processing and storage subsystems. The mission goals are as follows: (1) Provide global coverage of atmospheric density measurements, (2) Investigate storm-time features of the thermosphere over a large range of spatial and temporal scales, and (3) Provide the means for data assimilation into a first-principles model of the upper atmosphere. The benefit of this technology is not only its small size, mass and power requirements; but also the significant reduction in the cost of an accelerometer capable of measuring satellite drag. This technological breakthrough will facilitate the addition of a space weather sensor as a secondary payload to many existing LEO satellite mission with minimal impact on the main payloads and overall budget.