NSF Award
2342473
Interplanetary space is permeated by energetic particles from galactic cosmic rays and from the Sun. This Rapid Response Research (RAPID) project will make unique measurements of energetic particles in interplanetary space by integrating the Relativistic Electron and Proton Telescope integrated little experiment-2 (REPTile-2) into the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA). This is a unique opportunity to refurbish instrumentation originally developed as part of the NSF CubeSat program for a new active mission with an international collaboration with the United Arab Emirates. A graduate and two undergraduate students will gain hands-on experience in building, testing, and calibrating the space flight instrument.<br/><br/>The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is currently developing the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA). University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) is the “knowledge transfer partner” on EMA, involved with spacecraft bus building and integration of the science instruments. EMA will have a narrow launch window in March 2028 to carry out the mission. The spacecraft will perform a series of flyby/gravity assists at Venus, Earth, and Mars, before the first asteroid flyby in early 2030. The mission will conclude by rendezvousing with a seventh main belt asteroid, Justitia, in October 2034. This project will support refurbishment of the REPTile-2 instrument, originally developed as part of the successful NSF Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment (CSSWE) CubeSat mission, for integration with the EMA spacecraft. The new REPTile-3 instrument will provide detailed measurements of energetic particles from 3-100 MeV protons and 0.2-5 MeV electrons in 129 channels. The following science questions will be addressed: (1) How do the energy spectra of solar energetic particles (SEPs) evolve with time and location in the heliosphere? (2) What is the relative contribution of SEPs vs galactic cosmic ray (GCR) and anomalous cosmic ray (ACR) protons with energies up to 100 MeV near the Earth’s space environment, including Moon’s surface? (3) What is the energy spectrum dependence of space weather effects on spacecraft either in the interplanetary medium or orbiting around the Earth but exposed to direct entrance of SEPs, GCRs, and ACRs?<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
