BOULDER, Colo. - A new instrument is using advanced detection techniques and leveraging an orbit with specific characteristics to increase our understanding of the Van Allen belts—regions surrounding Earth that contain energetic particles that can endanger both robotic and human space missions. Recently, the instrument provided a unique view of changes to this region that were brought on by an intense magnetic storm in May 2024, NASA's editorial team writes. Continue reading original article.
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
18 September 2024 - Accurately measuring energetic electrons has long been a challenge, particularly in the inner radiation belt, where protons with energies ranging from MeV to GeV are also present. NASA's Van Allen Probes, which operated from 2012 to 2019 in low-inclination, geo-transfer-like orbits, revealed that instruments passing through the core of the inner belt can be affected by highly energetic protons in the region. Despite being heavily shielded, the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT) and the Magnetic Electron and Ion Spectrometer (MagEIS) onboard the probes still experienced proton contamination.
To address this issue, a team from the University of Colorado Boulder, led by Dr. Xinlin Li, developed the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope integrated little experiment (REPTile), a simplified, miniaturized version of REPT, for deployment on the Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment (CSSWE). Supported by the National Science Foundation, the CSSWE CubeSat, a 3-Unit CubeSat, operated in a highly inclined low Earth orbit (LEO) from 2012 to 2014. This orbit limited proton exposure to the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), where Earth's magnetic field is weaker, significantly reducing proton interference with electron measurements.
Related: Radiation-hardened electronics keep orbital satellites functioning
Jamie Whitney, Senior Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics
