Exploring the Earth's upper atmosphere from the Space Shuttle based AIRSEDS-S tethered satellite mission - A program update

Abstract

NASA and ASI have expressed interest in deploying tethered probes downwards into the Earth's upper atmosphere. The scientific and engineering information to be gained in this mission is required to advance our understanding and modeling capabilities in atmospheric and ionospheric phenomena including satellite drag, upper-atmospheric chemistry, the energy deposition from magnetospheric currents and particle precipitation, and the spatial and temporal gradients in thermosphere properties. Moreover, the next generation of tethered satellites and hypersonic vehicles are being planned to fly through this atmospheric region. The Michigan Technic Corporation inconjuction with NASA MSFC and The AJRSEDS Institute have begun work on a low cost tethered probe to be deployed downwards into the Earth's upper atmosphere. AIRSEDSS, Atmospheric/Ionospheric Research Small Expendable Deployed Satellite, will test and demonstrate tether system dynamical interactions, verify models of tether and Copyright © 1998 by The Michigan Technic Corporation. Published by the American Institute Of Aeronautics And Astronautics, Inc. with permission. * Member AIAA satellite aerothermodynamic behavior, and determine lower thermosphere chemistry and composition. AIRSEDS is designed to collect atmospheric information in the altitude range of 230-105 km via a tethered satellite lowered from the Space Shuttle Orbiter via the shuttle hitchhiker system to altitudes which cannot currently be explored using balloons or aircraft. The successful flight demonstration of the AIRSEDS-S probe and deployer system will provide the first horizontal in-situ sampling at low altitudes in the Earth's upper atmosphere and would also result in a low cost option to conduct further exploration of the Earth's upper atmosphere and ionosphere from the space shuttle and the International Space Station. Most of the hardware components of the AIRSEDS-S mission, structural and functional are designed to be extensible and reusable for application to other tether missions. In addition, the AIRSEDS-S deployer will be designed as a reusable facility for the Hitchhiker-C (AIRSEDS/HH-C) and International Space Station Programs (via the proposed AIRSEDS/ISS facility). It is expected that the AERSEDS/HH-C and AIRSEDS/ISS Facilities will lead the way for support of a wide range of services and payloads including remote sensing, microgravity facilities, ISS reboost and payload return. This paper will present a summary of the AIRSEDS-S mission and vehicle design to date.