HR: 11:20h
AN: SA42A-05    [Abstracts]
TI: The role of small satellites in aeronomy
AU: * Swenson, C M
EM: charles.swenson@engineering.usu.edu
AF: Utah State University, 4120 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322 United States
AU: Patterson, P
EM: Patp@sdl.usu.edu
AF: Space Dynamics Laboratory, 1695 North Research Parkway, North Logan, UT 84342 United States
AB: The scientific community and NASA are continually evaluating and setting the direction of future aeronomy missions including those targeted at space weather. Missions, and the required supporting technologies, have historically been outlined within strategic plans developed for NASA by the science community. Many of the proposed missions will require constellations that act as single missions making coordinated observations as a single virtual instrument. The science return occurs from the multi-point or spatially distributed observations and not from a collocation of a complex suite of instruments as is the current model. The only conceivable way many of these missions can be achieved is through the use of small, low-cost satellites. Thus, future science objectives can benefit from small satellites either from the enabling of constellations or potentially from more frequent flight opportunities if lower cost space missions materialize. An engineering community exists that is developing small satellites, or'nano-sciencecraft', with both smaller and capable spacecraft 'bus' and 'payload' components. A corresponding launch industry is developing for small satellites but mostly in response to the DOD's 'Responsive Space' visions. Within this paper we look forward to small satellite technology in aeronomy as well as the state of small satellite technology and associated space systems.
DE: 0355 Thermosphere: composition and chemistry
DE: 0358 Thermosphere: energy deposition (3369)
DE: 0394 Instruments and techniques
DE: 2494 Instruments and techniques
DE: 2499 General or miscellaneous
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005