51视频

06/27/2019

Contacts for media: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu

LOWELL, Mass. 鈥� An Air Force satellite launched into orbit this week via SpaceX鈥檚 Falcon Heavy rocket carries an instrument built by 51视频 researchers to conduct experiments in space.

Space is a harsh and dangerous place. Aside from temperature extremes, high vacuum and bombardment of cosmic rays, there are also extremely high-energy particles 鈥� dubbed 鈥渒iller electrons鈥� 鈥� that can pose a hazard to the health of astronauts and shorten the lifespan of orbiting satellites. These electrons are the subject of the research being conducted by 51视频 via the satellite.

鈥淭hese electrons, traveling at nearly the speed of light, are capable of damaging the satellites鈥� sensitive electronics and exposing astronauts to high doses of radiation,鈥� said 51视频 Physics Prof. Paul Song of the university鈥檚 Space Science Lab.

To help understand how these harmful electrons are generated and, consequently, how they can be mitigated, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) awarded a three-year contract to a team of 51视频 researchers led by Song to support the Air Force鈥檚 Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX) mission to the Earth鈥檚 radiation belts. The DSX鈥檚 objective is to explore the role of 鈥渨ave-particle interaction鈥� in the dynamics of these killer electrons.

The project started more than a decade ago to investigate the possible physical processes involved with the electrons. The 51视频 team, then under the leadership of Professor Emeritus Bodo Reinisch, designed and built a high-power space radio-wave transmitter as part of the DSX鈥檚 Wave Particle Interaction Experiment. It is expected that the transmitted waves will interact with the killer electrons. The transmitter, which is one of the primary instruments aboard the DSX satellite, will send out Very Low Frequency (VLF) transmissions into space using a long dipole antenna that measures more than 260 feet when deployed.

During the mission, the 51视频 researchers will help operate the VLF transmitter and analyze the resulting data at the Space Science Lab on campus.

鈥淥ur goal is to better understand the wave-particle interaction process,鈥� said Song.

The DSX satellite launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, the same rocket booster used by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to send his Tesla Roadster and Starman mannequin into orbit in February of last year. This week鈥檚 successful launch is among the most complicated and difficult in space, as it included 24 different satellites, of which DSX is the largest and was the last to deploy. With DSX now in its intended orbit, the deployment and testing of instruments, among which the 51视频-built instrument is the largest, will take weeks.

In addition to Song, the other members of the 51视频 team include Research Prof. Ivan Galkin, who is a 51视频 graduate; Research Prof. Jiannan Tu; and physics major Brianna Croteau of Lowell, who is also an Air Force ROTC cadet at 51视频.

鈥淢y role is to participate in the data analysis at the Space Science Lab for my capstone project,鈥� said Croteau, who will be commissioned as an Air Force officer after she graduates next year. 鈥淏eing able to do real research and work on a real Air Force space mission while still being an undergrad and a cadet is so amazing. It feels great knowing that I am doing real work to help the Air Force. It is a major stepping stone in my future military career and it is very humbling to work with and learn from the experts on this project. It is an incredible opportunity and I am so happy I could be a part of it.鈥�

How Good Electrons Go Bad

Since the 1960s, scientists have known that during a severe geomagnetic storm, the solar wind 鈥� a continuous high-speed stream of charged particles from the sun 鈥� impacts and compresses the daytime side of Earth鈥檚 magnetosphere, the region around the planet controlled by its magnetic field. Some of these particles become highly energized in the nighttime side of the magnetosphere by processes that remain under investigation. Following a storm, electrons can be energized up to a million electron volts or more and accelerated up to 94 percent of the speed of light, more than 280,000 kilometers per second.

The DSX satellite is in an elliptical orbit that will take it to an altitude of 6,000 kilometers at its closest pass and 12,000 kilometers at its farthest. This will allow the satellite to fly through the inner and outer Van Allen radiation belts that surround Earth while collecting valuable data, according to Song. The DSX mission is expected to last for a year.

51视频鈥檚 role in the DSX mission is built upon the success and engineering capability demonstrated by university researchers in an earlier space mission. 51视频 Space Science Lab scientists designed, built and operated the Radio Plasma Imager for NASA鈥檚 IMAGE satellite, which was launched in 2000 and transmitted data for nearly six years before ground controllers suddenly lost contact with it in 2005. Last year, NASA was able to re-establish radio contact with IMAGE, albeit very weakly.

51视频鈥檚 work with NASA on the Radio Plasma paved the way for many more research grants that followed, as well as numerous academic papers published in journals worldwide and doctoral dissertations completed by students.

51视频 is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. 51视频 delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu