The tiny ionospheric photometer instrument design and operation

Phillip Cabrales Kalmanson; Scott A. Budzien; Clayton Coker; Kenneth F. Dymond

doi:10.1117/12.578341

30 December 2004 The tiny ionospheric photometer instrument design and operation

Phillip Cabrales Kalmanson, Scott A. Budzien, Clayton Coker, Kenneth F. Dymond

Proceedings Volume 5660, Instruments, Science, and Methods for Geospace and Planetary Remote Sensing; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.578341
Event: Fourth International Asia-Pacific Environmental Remote Sensing Symposium 2004: Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere, Ocean, Environment, and Space, 2004, Honolulu, Hawai'i, United States

Abstract

The Tiny Ionospheric Photometer (TIP) instrument is a small, space-based, photometer that observes the ionosphere of the earth at 135.6 nanometers. The TIP instrument will primarily observe the airglow emission of the nighttime ionosphere caused by the radiative recombination of atomic oxygen. In addition, the TIP instrument will observe the auroral region boundaries from the emission caused by electron impact excitation. Six TIP instruments will be launched and flown simultaneously as each one is a payload carried aboard the Republic of China Satellite (ROCSAT-3) spacecraft as part of the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) program a constellation built and operated by the country of Taiwan. Observations will be made from three orbital planes spaced 60 degrees apart each containing two TIP instruments. The instruments will be able to provide global coverage as well as system and data redundancy in their intended orbital configuration. Raw data from the TIP instruments will be used for the characterization of ionospheric electron density gradients to improve ionospheric modeling. Data from the TIP instruments can also be combined with the data from the other two payloads on board the spacecraft that are a radio beacon and a GPS occultation experiment to result in enhanced ionospheric measurements. The TIP instrument design had to solve several design challenges in order to achieve its intended science and mission requirements. In addition, the design had to address the operational constraints imposed by the spacecraft and the cost constraints of multiple units.

Citation Download Citation

Phillip Cabrales Kalmanson, Scott A. Budzien, Clayton Coker, and Kenneth F. Dymond "The tiny ionospheric photometer instrument design and operation", Proc. SPIE 5660, Instruments, Science, and Methods for Geospace and Planetary Remote Sensing, (30 December 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.578341

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available