Kelly Korreck, Justin Kasper, Anthony Case, Peter Daigneau, Jay Bookbinder, Davin Larson, Jasper Halekas, Michael Stevens, Micheal Ludlam, Will Marchant
KEYWORDS: Space operations, Data archive systems, Solar processes, Electrons, Sun, Data centers, System on a chip, Sensors, Data processing, Calibration
Solar Probe Plus, scheduled to launch in 2018, is a NASA mission that will fly through the Sun's atmosphere for the first time. It will employ a combination of in situ plasma measurements and remote sensing imaging to achieve the mission's primary goal: to understand how the Sun's corona is heated and how the solar wind is accelerated. The Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) instrument suite consists of a Faraday cup and three electrostatic analyzers. In order to accomplish the science objectives, an encounter-based operations scheme is needed. This paper will outline the SWEAP science operations center design and schemes for data selection and down link.
The upcoming Solar Probe Plus (SPP) mission requires novel approaches for in-situ plasma instrument design. SPP’s
Solar Probe Cup (SPC) instrument will, as part of the Solar Wind Electrons, Alphas, and Protons (SWEAP) instrument
suite, operate over an enormous range of temperatures, yet must still accurately measure currents below 1 pico-amp, and
with modest power requirements.
This paper discusses some of the key technology development aspects of the SPC, a Faraday Cup and one of the few
instruments on SPP that is directly exposed to the solar disk, where at closest approach to the Sun (less than 10 solar
radii (Rs) from the center of the Sun) the intensity is greater than 475 earth-suns. These challenges range from materials
characterization at temperatures in excess of 1400°C to thermal modeling of the behavior of the materials and their
interactions at these temperatures. We discuss the trades that have resulted in the material selection for the current
design of the Faraday Cup. Specific challenges include the material selection and mechanical design of insulators,
particularly for the high-voltage (up to 8 kV) grid and coaxial supply line, and thermo-optical techniques to minimize
temperatures in the SPC, with the specific intent of demonstrating Technology Readiness Level 6 by the end of 2013.
The Solar Probe Cup (SPC) Instrument is a Sun-facing Faraday Cup instrument slated for launch aboard the Solar Probe
Plus (SPP) spacecraft in 2018. SPC is one of two instruments onboard the Solar Wind Electrons Alphas Protons
(SWEAP) instrument suite and is the only SPP charged particle instrument that will not be shielded behind the
spacecraft’s Thermal Protection System (TPS). The 7-year SPP mission will take SPC on 24 solar encounters at perihelia
ranging from 35 to 9.86 solar radii (RS). The SPC components will encounter a large range of temperatures, from in
excess of 1500°C at perihelion to -130°C at or near aphelion. This paper details the derived mechanical and structural
requirements on the primary SPC mechanical assemblies including its thermal shield, the sensor unit and the
strut/adapter assembly. An example of sensor requirements derivation to the component level is provided by the
modulator flex ring. Preliminary requirements derivation, definition, and compliance are provided for these assemblies
and components.
The Advanced Spectroscopic and Coronagraphic Explorer (ASCE) was proposed in 2001 to NASA's Medium-Class Explorer (MIDEX) program by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in collaboration with the Naval Research Laboratory, Goddard Space Flight Center
and the Italian Space Agency. It is one of four missions selected for Phase A study in 2002. ASCE is composed of three instrument units: an Advanced Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (AUVCS), an Advanced Large Aperture visible light Spectroscopic Coronagraph (ALASCO),
and an Advanced Solar Disk Spectrometer (ASDS). ASCE makes use of a 13 m long boom that is extended on orbit and positions the external occulters of AUVCS and ALASCO nearly 15 m in front of their respective telescope mirrors. The optical design concepts for the instruments
will be discussed.
The Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer is one of the instruments on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft, which was launched in December, 1995. The instrument is designed to make ultraviolet spectrometric measurements and visible polarimetric measurements of the extended solar corona. Prior to launch laboratory measurements were carried out to determine system level values for many of the key performance parameters. Further measurements on instrument performance have been carried out since launch. Presented are descriptions of measurement techniques and representative results.
The SOHO ultraviolet coronagraph spectrometer (UVCS/SOHO) is composed of three reflecting telescopes with external and internal occultation and a spectrometer assembly consisting of two toric grating spectrometers and a visible light polarimeter. The UVCS will perform ultraviolet spectroscopy and visible polarimetry to be combined with plasma diagnostic analysis techniques to provide detailed empirical descriptions of the extended solar corona from the coronal base to a heliographic height of 12 R. In this paper, the salient features of the design of the UVCS instrument are described. An overview of the UVCS test and calibration activities is presented. The results from the calibration activity have demonstrated that the UVCS can achieve all its primary scientific observational goals.
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