SPORT: An international science mission using a CubeSat Dr. James Spann, NASA Heliophysics Chief Scientist, SPORT PI Dr. Charles Swenson, SPORT Deputy PI SOLAR JASD SYSTEM HELIOPHYSICS ASTROPHYSICS EARTH 2 3 Science by the TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INNOVATION ~10,000 U.S. Scientists Funded NUMBERS ~$400M Invested Annually ~3,000 Competitively Selected Awards ~$600M Awarded Annually SPACECRAFT CUBESATS SOUNDING ROCKETS 106 Missions 22 Science Missions 16 Science Missions 88 Spacecraft 15 Technology Demos 3 Tech/Student Missions EARTH-BASED BALLOONS INVESTIGATIONS 13 Science Payloads 25 Major Airborne Missions 1 HASP with up to 8 Global Networks 12 student experiments Current as of May 1, 2018 5 5 Heliophysics Science 6 6 Heliophysics Formulation Implementation STEREO (1) Primary Ops System Extended Ops Observatory SOHO (ESA) RHESSI ICON AIM IBEX ACE GOLD Van Allen Probes (2) SDO Parker Solar Probe TIMED TWINS (1) Wind THEMIS (3) Hinode Geotail (JAXA) Voyager (2) (JAXA) Solar Orbiter (ESA) IMAP MMS (4) ARTEMIS (2) • 18 Operating Missions with 26 Spacecraft SET-1 IRIS • 6 Missions in Development 7 2018 Helio Highlights – Launches ICON placeholder Left: GOLD launches from French Guiana on Jan 25 Middle: Parker launches from Kennedy Space Center on August 12 Right: ICON to launch on a Pegasus from Kennedy Space Center, NET October 6 8 8 International Partners ESA (Europe): • Solar Orbiter KASI (Korea): • Development towards prototype coronagraph for balloon flight in 2019 ISRO (India): • Three sub-working groups established - Aditya-1 mission collaboration, space weather modeling, long-term strategic collaboration focus areas JAXA (Japan): • Working with JAXA on approach for Next Generation Solar Physics Mission (NGSPM) AEB (Brazil): • SPORT CubeSat Mission, LRD 2020 United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 9 9 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions" Presentation Outline • Overview: SPORT science and mission • A Story: how did it come to be • The Status: where are we now • Future Plans: where are we going • Q/A United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 10 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions" SPORT • United States / Brazil Instituto Nacional de Science Mission Pesquisas Espaciais Instituto Tecnológico de • United States Aeronáutica – Science Instruments US Southern Command – Launch The Aerospace Corporation • Brazil University of Texas – Spacecraft Dallas 11 – Operations University of Alabama • Joint Huntsville Utah State University – Science Data Analysis United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 11 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions" Funding and Resources • NASA HQ – Heliophysics Technology and Instrument Development for Science • Low-Cost Access to Space, CubeSat program element • São Paulo Research Foundation – FAPESP – Innovative Research in Research Institutes • USA DOD – Coalition Warfare Program (CWP) 12 Forecasting the Weather Earth Tropospheric Weather Space Weather 13 Science Goals A science mission to understand the preconditions leading to equatorial plasma bubbles and scintillation 1) What is the state of the ionosphere that gives rise to the growth of plasma bubbles that extend into and above the F-peak at different longitudes? 2) How are plasma irregularities at satellite altitudes related to the radio scintillations observed passing through these regions? 14 Ionospheric Plasma Bubbles United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 15 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions" Why are these longitude regions different 16 November 2014 United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 17 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions" November 2014 United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 18 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions" May 2015 United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 19 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions" May 2015 United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 20 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions" July 2015 • NASA HQ yearly solicits Principal Investigator lead science proposals • Due to NASA HQ on 8/28/2015 • One month to prepare proposal!!! • Not good United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 21 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions" August 2015 • 10/1/2018 Convened team in Utah early August to work out technical details with ITA at The Utah State University Small Sat Conference United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 22 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions" SPORT 2015 proposal • What is the state of the ionosphere that gives rise to the growth of plasma irregularities that extend into and above the F-peak? • How do plasma irregularities evolve to impact the appearance of radio scintillation at different frequencies? • Not selected – January 2016 • Review Feedback: Science overpromised for a single CubeSat • HQ Feedback: Encouraged to resubmit United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 23 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions" March 2016 • Back in Logan, Utah to sort out the science United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 24 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions" SPORT Methodology • The state of the ionosphere at Night early local times is related to the occurrence of scintillations at later local times. Local time 1718 19 20 21 22 – How does this relation vary with longitude? • Use case studies when SPORT ascending or descending node is within 17 to 24 LT sector. Region 1 Region 2 • Examine ~15 degree longitude sectors United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 25 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions" Methodology Strategy 1 Satellite Satellite Pass 1 92 minutes later Pass 2 Scintillation Earth rotates under satellite orbit Night detection Target longitude by GPS RO region moves East Measure the state of the Observe if scintillations ionosphere in situ at occur at later LT using Target 1.5 early LT with SPORT. GPS RO from SPORT. hours later in local time United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 26 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions" Methodology Strategy 2 Satellite Satellite Scintillation Pass 1 92 minutes later Pass 2 detection Night by in situ Target longitude instruments region moves East Target 1.5 hours earlier in local time Measure the profile of Observe if scintillations the ionosphere at early occur at later LT using LT with GPS RO. in situ instruments. United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 27 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite Space Missions" Measurement and Instrumentation Instruments GPS Occultation Measurement Patch Antenna Impedance Plasma motion RPA/Drift meter Probe Plasma density / GPS density profiles Occultation Star Camera Small scale structures Floating Potential and waves Langmuir E-field/Wave E-field/Wave Scintillation Index Impedance Magnetic field Ion Velocity Meter structure E-Field Magnetometer Plasma temperature Magnetometer Velocity Nadir Langmuir 28 SPORT 2016 Proposal 1) What is the state of the ionosphere that gives rise to the growth of plasma bubbles that extend into and above the F-peak at different longitudes? 2) How are plasma irregularities at satellite altitudes related to the radio scintillations observed passing through these regions? • Pathfinder Mission for future more robust multi-satellite mission • Submitted July 2016, Selected December 2016 29 Now: International Agreements • The required U.S.-Brazil Framework Agreement was ratified in April 2018 • NASA transmitted a draft SPORT Implementing Arrangement to AEB in June 2018 • AEB is currently conducting the required Brazil-side reviews of the draft • NASA OIIR is working with the U.S. Embassy in Brazil to press for expedient conclusion of the Implementing Arrangement 30 SPORT Instruments Ion Velocity Meter GPS Occultation Langmuir, E-field, Fluxgate Magnetometer UTD Receiver Impedance Probe NASA Goddard Aerospace USU 31 SPORT Observatory Sweeping Impedance Probe (Plasma Density) Aerospace GPS Electric Field Probe (Floating Potential) Sensor 1 Electric Field Probe Sensor 2 Sweeping Langmuir Probe UTD RPA/Drift Meter (Plasma Density, Temperature) GSFC Magnetometer 32 32 Ground Network Ground Network Magnetometers Scintillation sensors TEC stations Imagers Ionosondes 33 Mission ConOps SPORT Checkout SPORT Operations On-orbit Operations (> 12 months) Deploy from NANORACKS 400 km alt Installation Disposal 300 km alt NASA Soft Package Launch INPE/ITA Images: Charlie Gray 34 Design Review • Succcessful Design review held at Utah State, Logan Utah, in August, 2018 United Nations/Brazil Symposium on Basic Space Technology September 11, 2018 Natal, Brazil 35 "Creating Novel Opportunities with Small Satellite