NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Research Articles

New Mie Scattering Diffuse Targets Development and Characterization

Abstract Earth science remote sensing observations require the detection and measurement of light originating from bright targets, such as clouds, and darker targets, such as an open ocean. This requirement drives the need to design, develop, and characterize improved calibration targets in support of current and future NASA instruments. New diffuse targets to be used as spectral albedo calibration standards were developed and characterized. The new targets based on fused silica or/and pressed and sintered Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) were developed to be Earth scene specific. The various reflectance levels are achieved by modifying the material parameters, thickness, and surface finish. The new targets were characterized in cleanroom environment. We acquired high accuracy reflectance and transmittance data using a precision optical scatterometer and spectrophotometer located in the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Diffuser Calibration Lab. The Total hemispherical reflectance (THR) and Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) were measured over the range of solar incident and scattered elevation and azimuthal angles typically realized on orbit by remote sensing instruments. We intend to space certify the new calibration targets after concluding on-orbit testing on the International Space Stations (ISS) scheduled for the second half of 2023.

Reconfigurable Guidance Strategy for Compensating Actuator Faults in Spacecraft Formation Flying

The capacity to keep a desired topology with a requested accuracy plays a significant role in every spacecraft formation-flying operation. These missions can be terminated in case of an unexpected spacecraft fault, preventing the system from returning to its nominal configuration. This paper presents and tests a new recovery solution, called Reconfigurable Guidance Strategy (RGS), for the spacecraft formation-flying control problem subject to a look-in-place permanent thruster fault. The proposed method relies on autonomously and in real-time reconfiguring the guidance function to compensate for the loss of the spacecraft actuation system. The performance and cost of the RGS have been tested in a high-fidelity simulation scenario, the 42 spacecraft simulator developed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, taking into account orbital and rotational nonlinear coupled dynamics, high-order perturbation models, and actuator and sensor models. The numerical simulation results have demonstrated the proposed recovery strategy’s effectiveness, feasibility, and robustness.

The Peregrine Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS) Investigation Development and Preflight Planning

The Peregrine Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS) is a mass spectrometer instrument that operated during the Astrobotic Peregrine Mission-1 as part of the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. This paper describes the instrument and investigation design, development, and planning conducted by the PITMS team, consisting of a successful partnership between NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), The Open University, NASA, and ESA. PITMS was designed to measure the abundance and temporal variability of volatile species in the near-surface lunar exosphere from a landed platform on the lunar surface. The PITMS instrument consisted of a European Space Agency–provided Exospheric Mass Spectrometer (including sensor, electronics, controller, and power supply boards) and a GSFC wrapper that provided structural elements, thermal control, and a deployable dust cover. PITMS was designed to operate as a passive sampler, where ambient gases would enter PITMS through an aperture, diffuse around the mass analyzer cavity, become ionized by electron impact and trapped in an RF field, and then sequentially be released to a detector to build a mass spectrum. PITMS was capable of measuring species with a mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) from 10 to 150 Da, with a mass resolution of approximately 0.5 amu. The PITMS science investigation was planned to be operated by GSFC with an international team of scientists. Though the mission did not achieve its lunar landing, information about the PITMS instrument and planning is provided to be able to understand and effectively use data that will be forthcoming from the investigation.

Landslide Assessment Classification Using Deep Neural Networks Based on Climate and Geospatial Data

This study presents a method for classifying landslide triggers and sizes using climate and geospatial data. The landslide data were sourced from the Global Landslide Catalog (GLC), which identifies rainfall-triggered landslide events globally, regardless of size, impact, or location. Compiled from 2007 to 2018 at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the GLC includes various mass movements triggered by rainfall and other events. Climatic data for the 10 years preceding each landslide event, including variables such as rainfall amounts, humidity, pressure, and temperature, were integrated with the landslide data. This dataset was then used to classify landslide triggers and sizes using deep neural networks (DNNs) optimized through genetic algorithm (GA)-driven hyperparameter tuning. The optimized DNN models achieved accuracies of 0.67 and 0.82, respectively, in multiclass classification tasks. This research demonstrates the effectiveness of GA to enhance landslide disaster risk management.

Colored noise in GRACE total water storage time series: Its impact on trend significance in the Türkiye region and major world river basins

Temporal correlations are prevalent in most geophysical time series data, leading to what is known as colored noise, which become more apparent in the frequency domain rather than time domain. Neglecting this type of noise in modeling can result in underestimated standard errors for the parameters of the model used to analyze the time series. As a result, statistical tests misinterpret the significance of these parameters, such as the overall trend rate, because the “signal to noise” ratio becomes incorrectly larger than it should be. In this study, we investigate the temporal correlations in the time series data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission. GRACE and its successor mission GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) have been successfully employed to monitor global total water storage anomalies over two decades since its initial launch in 2002. We primarily utilize monthly GRACE mascon (mass concentration) solutions provided by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), examining both regional and global scales. The power spectrum density of the residuals, calculated after applying standard harmonic regression to each mascon time series on Earth’s land, reveals an average spectral index of κ = −1. This indicates the predominance of flicker noise, one of the most common forms of colored noise in geodetic time series. Notably, the noise becomes more Brownian (κ < −1) in regions with intense hydrological events, while it tends to be more white noise (κ → 0) in areas with less water circulation compared to other land regions. This observation suggests that unmodelled hydrological events, such as droughts, floods, and ones associated with ice-melting, contribute to the residuals as colored noise in the time series. To account for this noise in our time series modeling, we primarily consider autoregressive (AR) moving average (MA) process, commonly known as ARMA, in addition to the standard variance component estimation for noise amplitudes. We focus on individual mascon blocks in the Türkiye Region and mascon solutions for 24 world’s major river basins. Our findings demonstrate that an ARMA(1,1) model is sufficient for describing the noise in these regions. The results underscore the importance of considering colored noise, as it leads to approximately three times larger standard errors for the overall trend rate. This substantially impacts the significance of the trend rates.

Landsat 9 Thermal Infrared Sensor-2 (TIRS-2) Pre- and Post-Launch Spatial Response Performance

The launch of Landsat 9 (L9) on 27 September 2021 marks the ongoing commitment of the Landsat mission to delivering users with calibrated Earth observations for fifty years. The two imaging sensors on L9 are the Thermal Infrared Sensor-2 (TIRS-2) and the Operational Land Imager-2 (OLI-2). Shortly after launch, the image data from OLI-2 and TIRS-2 were evaluated for both radiometric and geometric quality. This paper provides a synopsis of the evaluation of the spatial response of the TIRS-2 instrument. The assessment focuses on determining the instrument’s ability to detect a perfect knife edge. The spatial response was evaluated both pre- and post-launch. Pre-launch testing was performed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) under flight-like thermal vacuum (TVAC) conditions. On orbit, coastline targets were identified to evaluate the spatial response and compared against Landsat 8 (L8). The pre-launch results indicate that the spatial response of the TIRS-2 sensor is consistent with its predecessor on board L8, with no noticeable decline in image quality to compromise any TIRS science objectives. Similarly, the post-launch analysis shows no apparent degradation of the TIRS-2 focus during the launch and the initial operational timeframe.

The multiview observatory for solar terrestrial science (MOST)

We report on a study of the Multiview Observatory for Solar Terrestrial Science (MOST) mission that will provide comprehensive imagery and time series data needed to understand the magnetic connection between the solar interior and the solar atmosphere/inner heliosphere. MOST will build upon the successes of SOHO and STEREO missions with new views of the Sun and enhanced instrument capabilities. This article is based on a study conducted at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center that determined the required instrument refinement, spacecraft accommodation, launch configuration, and flight dynamics for mission success. MOST is envisioned as the next generation great observatory positioned to obtain three-dimensional information of large-scale heliospheric structures such as coronal mass ejections, stream interaction regions, and the solar wind itself. The MOST mission consists of 2 pairs of spacecraft located in the vicinity of Sun-Earth Lagrange points L4 (MOST1, MOST3) and L5 (MOST2 and MOST4). The spacecraft stationed at L4 (MOST1) and L5 (MOST2) will each carry seven remote-sensing and three in-situ instrument suites, including a novel radio package known as the Faraday Effect Tracker of Coronal and Heliospheric structures (FETCH). MOST3 and MOST4 will carry only the FETCH instruments and are positioned at variable locations along the Earth orbit up to 20° ahead of L4 and 20° behind L5, respectively. FETCH will have polarized radio transmitters and receivers on all four spacecraft to measure the magnetic content of solar wind structures propagating from the Sun to Earth using the Faraday rotation technique. The MOST mission will be able to sample the magnetized plasma throughout the Sun-Earth connected space during the mission lifetime over a solar cycle.

Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (LITMS) Instrument Field and Laboratory Tests as Part of the ARADS Field Campaigns.

The highly compact Linear Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (LITMS), developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, combines Mars-ambient laser desorption-mass spectrometry (LD-MS) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) through a single, miniaturized linear ion trap mass analyzer. The LITMS instrument is based on the Mars Organic Molecule Analyser (MOMA) investigation developed for the European Space Agency's ExoMars Rover Mission with further enhanced analytical features such as dual polarity ion detection and a dual frequency RF (radio frequency) power supply allowing for an increased mass range. The LITMS brassboard prototype underwent an extensive repackaging effort to produce a highly compact system for terrestrial field testing, allowing for molecular sample analysis in rugged planetary analog environments outside the laboratory. The LITMS instrument was successfully field tested in the Mars analog environment of the Atacama Desert in 2019 as part of the Atacama Rover Astrobiology Drilling Studies (ARADS) project, providing the first in situ planetary analog analysis for a high-fidelity, flight-like ion trap mass spectrometer. LITMS continued to serve as a laboratory tool for continued analysis of natural Atacama samples provided by the subsequent 2019 ARADS final field campaign.

Association between gestational exposure to solar activity and pregnancy loss using live births from a Massachusetts-based medical center

BackgroundSolar activity has been linked to biological mechanisms important to pregnancy, including folate and melatonin levels and inflammatory markers. Thus, we aimed to investigate the association between gestational solar activity and pregnancy loss. MethodsOur study included 71,963 singleton births conceived in 2002–2016 and delivered at an academic medical center in Eastern Massachusetts. We studied several solar activity metrics, including sunspot number, Kp index, and ultraviolet radiation, with data from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. We used a novel time series analytic approach to investigate associations between each metric from conception through 24 weeks of gestation and the number of live birth-identified conceptions (LBICs) —the total number of conceptions in each week that result in a live birth. This approach fits distributed lag models to data on LBICs, adjusted for time trends, and allows us to infer associations between pregnancy exposure and pregnancy loss. ResultsOverall, the association between solar activity during pregnancy and pregnancy loss varied by exposure metric. For sunspot number, we found that an interquartile range increase in sunspot number (78·7 sunspots) in all of the first 24 weeks of pregnancy was associated with 14·0 (95% CI: 6·5, 21·3) more pregnancy losses out of the average 92 LBICs in a week, and exposure in weeks ten through thirteen was identified as a critical window. Although not statistically significant, higher exposure to Kp index and to UV radiation across all 24 weeks of pregnancy was associated with more and less pregnancy losses, respectively. ConclusionWhile exposure to certain metrics of solar activity (i.e., sunspot number) throughout the first 24 weeks of pregnancy may be associated with pregnancy losses, exposure to other metrics were not. Solar activity is a complex phenomenon, and more studies are needed to clarify underlying pathways.

An Independent Degree-eight Mars Gravity Field Model and the Expected Results from the Tianwen-1 Mission

Tianwen-1 is China’s first independent interplanetary exploration mission, targeting Mars, and includes orbiting, landing, and rover phases. Similar to previous Mars missions, the Tianwen-1 orbiter was designed for polar orbits during the scientific mission period but has an exceptional eccentricity of approximately 0.59. We provide the first independent eight-degree Martian gravity field model in this paper, which was developed exclusively by a team working in China with our independent software as well, based on about two months of radiometric Doppler and range data from only the Tianwen-1 mission. This model is independent from the models created by the groups at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Goddard Space Flight Center in the United States, as well as the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales in France. Furthermore, in order to optimize the engineering and scientific benefits, we proposed a number of potential orbits for the extended Tianwen-1 mission. In order to solve a higher-degree independent Mars gravity field model, the viability of modifying the perigee height was investigated, with the priority considerations of fuel savings and implementation hazards being controlled.

Solar Absorptivity Degradation of Spacecraft Materials Due to UV and Charged Particles in the Gateway Environment

Gateway will be an outpost in cislunar space designed to survive a 15-year mission to support human Moon landings and future deep space exploration. The Gateway Passive Thermal Control System (PTCS) Group has identified charged particle and UV degradation of potential Gateway materials as a knowledge gap for the Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) and transit environment, especially the slow spiral transit planned for the first two modules. Solar absorptivity degradation is important to quantify because the end-of-life absorptivity impacts thermal performance of the system. To address this, ground testing has been completed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in which potential Gateway materials, including radiators, multi-layer insulation (MLI), and structural materials are subjected to the expected transit plus 15-year on-orbit charged particle fluence (9.86x1015 protons/cm2 at 2.5 keV and 3.1x1016 electrons/cm2 at 10 keV) and 5093 Equivalent Solar Hours (ESH). Reflectivity of a single sample of each material was measured in atmosphere and in vacuum inside the chamber after exposure to incremental levels of ESH and charged particle fluence. Increase in absorptivity of most samples were seen throughout the test including large differences in absorptivity of materials of the same category. Future planned testing will validate these results and include additional materials of interest.

Associations of solar activity and related exposures with fetal growth

BackgroundSolar and geomagnetic activity have been shown to suppress melatonin and to degrade folate levels, important hormones for fetal development. We examined whether solar and geomagnetic activity were associated with fetal growth. MethodsWe included 9573 singleton births with 26,879 routine ultrasounds at an academic medical center in Eastern Massachusetts from 2011 through 2016. Sunspot number and Kp index were obtained from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Three exposure windows were considered, including the first 16 weeks of pregnancy, one month prior to fetal growth measurement, and conception until fetal growth measurement (cumulative). Ultrasound scans from which we extracted biparietal diameter, head circumference, femur length, and abdominal circumference measurements were categorized as anatomic (<24 weeks' gestation) or growth scans (≥24 weeks' gestation) based on clinical practice. Ultrasound parameters and birth weight were standardized, and linear mixed models adjusted for long-term trends were fitted. ResultsPrenatal exposures were positively associated with larger head parameters measured <24 weeks' gestation, negatively associated with smaller fetal parameters measured ≥24 weeks' gestation, and not associated with birth weight. The strongest associations were observed for cumulative exposure in growth scans, where an interquartile range increase in sunspot number (32.87 sunspots) was associated with a −0.17 (95 % CI: −0.26, −0.08), −0.25 (−0.36, −0.15), and −0.13 (95 % CI: −0.23, −0.03) difference in mean biparietal diameter, head circumference, and femur length z-score, respectively. An interquartile range increase in cumulative Kp index (0.49) was associated with a −0.11 (95 % CI: −0.22, −0.01) and −0.11 (95 % CI: −0.20, −0.02) difference in mean head circumference and abdominal circumference z-score, respectively, in growth scans. ConclusionsSolar and geomagnetic activity were associated with fetal growth. Future studies are needed to better understand the impact of these natural phenomena on clinical endpoints.

Resilient Autonomous Mission Management for Decentralized Multispacecraft Missions

Autonomy will play a crucial role in achieving complex mission goals and reducing the burden for ground operations for upcoming ambitious aerospace missions. Standalone spacecraft can leverage autonomy concepts to optimize data collection and ensure robust operation. Autonomy can additionally provide a feasible method of ensuring coordination for spacecraft clusters through onboard peer-to-peer scheduling. The core of this framework, the schedule manager (SM), manages tasks by associating constraints with each task including time windows, task priority, conflict categories, and resource requirements, which assures that tasks will only run when capable. This increased control over individual tasks also improves the modularity of the overall mission plan and provides a built-in fail-safe in the event of unexpected task failure through the loading of predefined contingency schedules. Various other capabilities were added to the SM, including the SM data server to simplify commanding, distributed coordination, and integration with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s core Flight System (cFS) platform. Software validation was achieved with cFS unit tests, functional tests, and code analysis tools. Demonstrations were tested with a cluster of development boards in the loop as representative flight hardware.

History and Development of the USAF Agriculture Meteorology Modeling System and Resulting USAF–NASA Strategic Partnership

Abstract The USAF Weather (AFW) supports a number of military and U.S. government agencies by providing authoritative weather analysis and forecast products for any location globally, including soil moisture analyses. The long history of supporting soil moisture products and partnering with other U.S. government agencies led to the partnering between the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, resulting in a merger of those organizations’ modeling systems, collaborative development of the Land Information System (LIS), and operational fielding of the system within the USAF 557th Weather Wing [557 WW; formerly, Headquarters Air Force Weather Agency (HQ AFWA)]. In 2009, the USAF implemented the NASA LIS and later made it the primary software system to generate global soil hydrology and energy budget products. The implementation of LIS delivered a significant upgrade over the existing Land Data Assimilation System (LDAS) the USAF operated, the Agriculture Meteorology (AGRMET) system. Implementation enabled the rapid integration of new LDAS technology into USAF operations, and led to a long-term NASA–USAF partnership resulting in continued development, integration, and implementation of new LIS capabilities. This paper documents both the history of the USAF Weather organization capabilities enabling the generation of soil moisture and other land surface analysis products, and describes the USAF–NASA partnership leading to the development of the merged LIS-AGRMET system. The article also presents a successful example of a mutually beneficial partnership that has enabled cutting-edge land analysis capabilities at the USAF, while transitioning NASA software and satellite data into USAF operations.

From a Love of Nature to a World of Earth Observations

AbstractThis article is a reflection on my career in Earth remote sensing and its evolution from an early childhood love of nature. I recount the influence of key people along the way to my development as an atmospheric scientist, and ultimately to my role as senior project scientist of NASA's Earth Observing System, one of the largest science program in the world in the 1990s and 2000s. Special focus is on unexpected encounters and opportunities to learn and explore, and ultimately to play a role in the remote sensing of aerosol and cloud properties from the ground, aircraft, and satellites. A major focus of much of my research at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center was on the development and exploitation of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer that ultimately flew on NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites. As a participant on this science team, I had the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with biological oceanographers, atmospheric scientists, and terrestrial ecologists, and ultimately to publish in each of these areas, far more than my basic academic “home.”

James Ransom Heirtzler: A Tribute

AbstractJames Ransom Heirtzler passed away in Silver Spring, Maryland, on 15 July 2022, at age 96. He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on 16 September 1925. James served in the U.S. Navy in the tropical and western Pacific during 1944–1946. He graduated from New York University obtaining a Ph.D. in Physics in 1953 and taught at the American University of Beirut 1953–1956. Dr. Heirtzler was at Columbia University 1960–1969, at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 1969–1985, and then at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center until retiring in 2004. He authored or coauthored 168 scientific articles, edited numerous books and participated in the production of the documentary movie “Where the Earth Turns Inside Out.” James was a fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the Geological Society of America, and the American Physical Society. He led scientific cruises in all the oceans of the world and had expeditions in both Polar Regions. Dr. Heirtzler has two Antarctic geological features and a microfossil named for him: the Heirtzler Ice Piedmont (72°34′S and 61°25′W), the Heirtzler Fracture Zone (63°30′S and 162°30′E), and the microfossil “Pithonella heirtzleri.”

The Exoplanet Modeling and Analysis Center at NASA Goddard

The Exoplanet Modeling and Analysis Center (EMAC) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is a web-based catalog, repository, and integration platform for modeling and analysis resources focused on the study of exoplanet characteristics and environments. EMAC hosts user-submitted resources ranging in category from planetary interior models to data visualization tools. Other features of EMAC include integrated web tools developed by the EMAC team in collaboration with the tools’ original author(s) and video demonstrations of a growing number of hosted tools. EMAC aims to be a comprehensive repository for researchers to access a variety of exoplanet resources that can assist them in their work, and currently hosts a growing number of code bases, models, and tools. EMAC is a key project of the NASA GSFC Sellers Exoplanet Environments Collaboration and can be accessed at https://emac.gsfc.nasa.gov.

Development of an End-to-End Demonstration Readout Chain for Athena/X-IFU

The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU) of the Athena observatory, scheduled for launch in the mid 2030's, will provide X-ray spectroscopy data with unprecedented spectral and spatial resolution. This will be achieved with a 2 kilo-pixel array of transition-edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeters. The complete detection chain is under development by a large international collaboration. In order to perform an end-to-end demonstration of the X-IFU readout chain, a 50 mK test bench is being developed at IRAP in collaboration with CNES. The test bench uses a two-stage ADR cryostat from Entropy GmbH, a 1024-pixel array, and will initially be operated using a warm electronics chain from NIST and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. We describe the complete system being installed in the cryostat and the current results obtained with these electronics. We also review the status of the integration of the digital readout electronics (DRE) prototype into the demonstration chain and the plan for integrating and testing the complete X-IFU readout chain.

GPM Ground Validation at NASA Wallops Precipitation Research Facility

Abstract The Wallops Precipitation Research Facility (WPRF) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Island, Virginia, has been established as a semipermanent supersite for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Ground Validation (GV) program. WPRF is home to research-quality precipitation instruments, including NASA’s S-band dual-polarimetric radar (NPOL), and a network of profiling radars, disdrometers, and rain gauges. This study investigates the statistical agreement of the GPM Core Observatory Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR), combined DPR–GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) and GMI level II precipitation retrievals compared to WPRF ground observations from a 6-yr collection of satellite overpasses. Multisensor observations are integrated using the System for Integrating Multiplatform Data to Build the Atmospheric Column (SIMBA) software package. SIMBA ensures measurements recorded in a variety of formats are synthesized into a common reference frame for ease in comparison and analysis. Given that instantaneous satellite measurements are observed above ground level, this study investigates the possibility of a time lag between satellite and surface mass-weighted mean diameter (Dm), reflectivity (Z), and precipitation rate (R) observations. Results indicate that time lags vary up to 30 min after overpass time but are not consistent between cases. In addition, GPM Core Observatory Dm retrievals are within level I mission science requirements as compared to WPRF ground observations. Results also indicate GPM algorithms overestimate light rain (&lt;1.0 mm h−1). Two very different stratiform rain vertical profiles show differing results when compared to ground reference data. A key finding of this study indicates multisensor DPR/GMI combined algorithms outperform single-sensor DPR algorithm. Significance Statement Satellites are beneficial for global precipitation surveillance because extensive ground instruments are lacking, especially over oceans. Ground validation studies are required to calibrate and improve precipitation algorithms from satellite sensors. The primary goal of this study is to quantify the differences between satellite raindrop size and rain-rate retrieval with ground-based observations. Rainfall-rate algorithms require assumptions about the mean raindrop size. Results indicate Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM)/satellite-based mean raindrop size is within acceptable error (±0.5 mm) with respect to ground measurements. In addition, GPM satellite measurements overestimate light rain (&lt;1.0 mm h−1), which is important during the winter months and at high latitudes. Illuminating the challenges of GPM satellite-based precipitation estimation can guide algorithm developers to improve retrievals.

AGILE: Development of a Compact, Low-Power, Low-Cost, and On-Board Detector for Ion Identification and Energy Measurement

An AGILE (Advanced enerGetic Ion eLectron tElescope) instrument is being developed at the University of Kansas and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center to be launched on board a CubeSat in 2022. The AGILE instrument aims to identify a large variety of ions (H-Fe) in a wide energy range (1–100 MeV/nucl) in real-time using fast silicon detectors and fast read-out electronics. This can be achieved by the first use of real-time Pulse Shape Discrimination in space instrumentation. This method of discrimination relies on specific amplitude and time characteristics of the signals sampled every 100 ps and produced by ions that stop in the detector medium. AGILE will be able to observe, in situ, the fluxes of a large variety of particles in a wide energy range to advance our knowledge of the fundamental processes in the universe. This work presents the current stage of development of the instrument, the discrimination method used through the performed simulations, and the first results from lab tests using an Am-241 source.