GEOScan is a grassroots effort, proposed as globally networked orbiting observation facility utilizing the main Iridium
NEXT 66-satellite constellation. This will create a revolutionary new capability of massively dense, global geoscience
observations and targets elusive questions that scientists have not previously been able to answer, and will not answer,
until simultaneous global measurements are made. This effort is enabled by Iridium as part of its Hosted Payload
Program. By developing a common sensor suite the logistical and cost barriers for transmitting massive amounts of data
from 66 satellites configured in 6 orbital planes with 11 evenly spaced slots per plane is removed. Each sensor suite of
GEOScan's networked orbital observation facility consists of 6 system sensors: a Radiometer to measure Earth's total
outgoing radiation; a GPS Compact Total Electron Content Sensor to image Earth's plasma environment and gravity
field; a MicroCam Multispectral Imager to measure global cloud cover, vegetation, land use, and bright aurora, and
also take the first uniform instantaneous image of the Earth; a Radiation Belt Mapping System (dosimeters) to
measure energetic electron and proton distributions; a Compact Earth Observing Spectrometer to measure aerosol-atmospheric
composition and vegetation; and MEMS Accelerometers to deduce non-conservative forces aiding gravity
and neutral drag studies. Our analysis shows that the instrument suites evaluated in a constellation configuration onboard
the Iridium NEXT satellites are poised to provide major breakthroughs in Earth and geospace science. GEOScan
commercial-of-the-shelf instruments provide low-cost space situational awareness and intelligence, surveillance, and
reconnaissance opportunities.
The Remote Atmospheric and Ionospheric Detection System (RAIDS) is new NASA experiment studying the Earth's
thermosphere and ionosphere from a vantage point on the International Space Station (ISS). RAIDS along with a
companion hyperspectral imaging experiment were launched in September 2009 to operate as the first US payload on the
Japanese Experiment Module-Exposed Facility. The scientific objectives of the RAIDS experiment are to study the
temperature of the lower thermosphere (100-200 km), to measure composition and chemistry of the lower thermosphere
and ionosphere, and to measure the initial source of O+ 83.4 nm emission. The RAIDS sensor complement includes
three photometers, three spectrometers, and two spectrographs which span the wavelength range 50-874 nm and scan or
image the atmospheric limb 90-300 km. After installation aboard the ISS, RAIDS underwent a 30-day checkout period
before entering science operations. RAIDS is serving as a pathfinder for atmospheric remote sensing from the ISS, and
the experiment team gained valuable operational insights using this space platform throughout the first year of the
mission. This paper describes key aspects of experiment performance relevant to interpreting RAIDS science data and
designing future atmospheric remote sensing experiments for the ISS.
This paper presents an analysis of the sensitivity changes experienced by three of the eight sensors that comprise
the Remote Atmospheric and Ionospheric Detection System (RAIDS) after more than a year operating on board
the International Space Station (ISS). These sensors are the Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrograph (EUVS) that
covers 550-1100 Å, the Middle Ultraviolet (MUV) spectrometer that covers 1900-3100Å, and the Near Infrared
Spectrometer (NIRS) that covers 7220-8740 Å. The scientific goal for RAIDS is comprehensive remote sensing of
the temperature, composition, and structure of the lower thermosphere and ionosphere from 85-200 km. RAIDS
was installed on the ISS Japanese Expansion Module External Facility (JEM-EF) in September of 2009. After
initial checkout the sensors began routine operations that are only interrupted for sensor safety by occasional
ISS maneuvers as well as a few days per month when the orbit imparts a risk from exposure to the Sun. This
history of measurements has been used to evaluate the rate of degradation of the RAIDS sensors exposed to an
environment with significant sources of particulate and molecular contamination. The RAIDS EUVS, including
both contamination and detector gain sag, has shown an overall signal loss rate of 0.2% per day since the start
of the mission, with an upper boundary of 0.13% per day attributed solely to contamination effects. This upper
boundary is driven by uncertainty in the change in the emission field due to changing solar conditions, and there
is strong evidence that the true loss due to contamination is significantly smaller. The MUV and NIRS have
shown stability to within 1% over the first year of operations.
The Remote Atmospheric and Ionospheric Detection System (RAIDS) is a suite of three photometers, three spectrometers, and two spectrographs which span the wavelength range 50-874 nm and remotely sense the thermosphere and ionosphere by scanning and imaging the limb. RAIDS was originally designed, built, delivered, and integrated onto a NOAA TIROS satellite in 1992. After a series of unfruitful flight opportunities, RAIDS is now certified for flight on
the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module-Exposed Facility (JEM-EF) aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in September 2009. The RAIDS mission objectives have been refocused since its original flight opportunity to accommodate the lower ISS orbit and to account for recent scientific progress. RAIDS underwent a fast-paced hardware modification program to prepare for the ISS mission. The scientific objectives of the new RAIDS experiment are to study the temperature of the lower thermosphere (100-200 km), to measure composition and chemistry of the lower thermosphere and ionosphere, and to measure the initial source of OII 83.4 nm emission. RAIDS will provide valuable data useful for exploring tidal effects in the thermosphere and ionosphere system, validating dayside ionospheric remote sensing methods, and studying local time variations in important chemical and thermal processes.
The RAIDS experiment is a suite of eight instruments to be flown aboard the Japanese Experiment Module-Exposed Facility on the International Space Station (ISS) in late 2009. Originally designed, built, and integrated onto the NOAA TIROS-J satellite in 1993, the original RAIDS hardware and the mission objectives have been modified for this ISS flight opportunity. In this paper we describe the four near infrared instruments on the RAIDS experiment covering the wavelength range of 630 - 870 nm. Over the past two years these instruments have undergone modification, refurbishment, and testing in preparation for flight. We present updated sensor characteristics relevant to this new ISS mission and discuss performance stability in light of the long instrument storage period.
The four instruments, operating in a limb scanning geometry, will be used to observe the spectral radiance of atomic and molecular emission from the Earth's upper atmospheric airglow. The passbands of the photometers are centered on the atomic lines OI(777.4), OI[630.0], and the 0-0 band of O2 Atmospheric band at 765 nm. The spectrometer scans from 725 to 870 nm. These observations will be used in conjunction with the other RAIDS instruments to investigate the properties of the lower thermosphere and to improve understanding of the connections of the region to the space
environment, solar energy flux and the lower atmosphere. These studies are fundamentally important to the understanding the effects of the atmosphere and ionosphere on space systems and their operation in areas such as satellite drag, communications and navigation.
The Remote Atmospheric and Ionospheric Detection System (RAIDS) is a suite of eight sensors covering wavelengths from 55 to 874 nm that has been developed for comprehensive remote sensing of the upper atmosphere. Initially designed to orbit on a higher-altitude TIROS satellite, the RAIDS experiment has been refurbished for a new mission on the International Space Station Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility (JEM-EF). RAIDS measures the altitude profiles of dayglow and nightglow emissions for specification of key ionospheric and thermospheric constituents. This paper details four of the RAIDS sensors that will measure spectral features in
the extreme (55-110 nm), far (130-180 nm), middle (200-300 nm), and near (300-400 nm) ultraviolet bands. The radiometric and spectral recharacterization of these sensors is highlighted, along with an overview of the primary features that this combination of experiments will measure to provide an unique perspective on the response of the ionosphere and thermosphere to space weather events.
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