HR: 1330h
AN: SA23A-20    [Abstracts]
TI: Multi-point Measurements in the Ionosphere-Thermosphere System Enabled by the NASA Goddard Small Deflection Energy Analyzers (SDEA)
AU: * herrero, f A
EM: fred.herrero@nasa.gov
AF: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 553, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Grebowsky, J M
EM: joseph.m.grebowsky@nasa.gov
AF: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 553, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Leitner, J A
EM: jesse.a.leitner@nasa.gov
AF: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 553, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AU: Matsumura, M M
EM: mark.m.matsumura@nasa.gov
AF: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 553, Greenbelt, MD 20771 United States
AB: Based on laboratory tests and simulations of our small deflection energy analyzer (SDEA), it is now possible to obtain the neutral and ion parameters in the ionosphere-thermosphere system with a 500 gram instrument suite that uses less than 1 W of power. This suite will provide the neutral wind vector and neutral temperature, the ion-drift vector and ion temperature, and the neutral composition and ion composition with sensitivity from 120 to 600 km altitude and time resolution of about 0.1 to 5 seconds (spatial resolution 1 to 40 km). An additional instrument, a magnetometer, will require an additional 100 grams with 100 mW power. With these figures it is possible to formulate a realistic approach to a nanosat having roughly 10 times the mass of the instrument payload, That is, a nanosat with total mass about 10 kg or less, with an average power about 5 W. We will present the results of our formulation for a mission of 5 nanosats whose goal is to demonstrate that a) scientific measurements are possible with the new technology, and b) the cost level and fabricability would support a future mission of 100 or more nanosats at or below current mission cost levels. The 5 nanosats in the first mission will provide simultaneous coverage of all the Ionosphere-Thermosphere parameters measured by the instrument suite and magnetometer at 5 different altitudes from 120 to about 500 km and many latitude-longitude-local time combinations.
DE: 0394 Instruments and techniques
DE: 2427 Ionosphere/atmosphere interactions (0335)
DE: 2437 Ionospheric dynamics
DE: 2494 Instruments and techniques
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly