Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




TECH SPACE
NASA's Science Mission Directorate Cubesat Initiative
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Jun 24, 2014


This file photo shows PhoneSat 2.5, a CubeSat built at NASA's Ames Research Center. Constructed using commercially available smartphones, PhoneSat 2.5 measures about four inches on each side. Image courtesy NASA Ames.

Beginning in October 2013, the NASA Science Mission Directorate, or SMD, started a new CubeSat Initiative -- a cross divisional project to develop scientific CubeSats for all four science divisions within SMD.

CubeSats offer a low-cost option for enabling scientific discovery related to astrophysics, heliophysics, Earth and planetary sciences, addressing space technology and exploration systems development needs, and extending important hands-on experience to undergraduate and graduate students.

Through effective internal and external partnerships, combined with existing SMD suborbital investments, NASA leverages CubeSats for exploratory and potentially systematic science observations at minimal cost.

With missions that can be less than $2 million to $4 million per satellite and with a rapid development cycle, along with the advent of routine access to space provided by NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense launch vehicles, and evolving nanosat launch systems, CubeSats are now a viable frequent flight opportunity for rapid innovation in science and technology.

SMD CubeSats are offered as part of the annual ROSES -- for Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences -- solicitation. For the 2014 fiscal year, six new CubeSat missions were selected:

+ Helio-1 "ELFIN-STAR" - Principal Investigator: V. Angelopoulos, UCLA ELFIN-STAR seeks to understand storm-time precipitation of radiation belt relativistic electrons and determine if electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves are responsible for the precipitation.

+ Helio-2 "CuSPP" - Principal Investigator: M. Desai, Southwest Research Institute CuSPP will study solar particles over Earth's poles to provide space weather relevant observations through combined interplanetary energetic particle and suprathermal source population observations at high cadence.

+ Helio-3 "TBEx" - Principal Investigator: R. Tsunoda, SRI, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center TBEx will significantly improve the understanding of the role of atmospheric gravity waves on the formation of equatorial plasma bubbles.

+ Helio-4 "MinXSS" - Principal Investigator: T. Woods, LASP, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center MinXSS will improve understanding of solar spectral irradiance to improve modeling capabilities and reduce uncertainty regarding where in the upper atmosphere of Earth solar photon energy is deposited.

+ Helio-5 "SORTIE" - Principal Investigator: G. Crowley, Atmospheric and Space Technology Research Associates SORTIE will investigate the underlying causes behind the appearance of plasma structures in the F-region of Earth's ionosphere, leading to equatorial plasma bubbles, and the evolution of these structures after formation.

+ Earth-1 "IceCube" - Principal Investigator: D. Wu, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center IceCube is a sub-millimeter wave radiometer to advance understanding of ice clouds and their roles in climate change.

.


Related Links
NASA Science Mission Directorate
Space Technology News - Applications and Research






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








TECH SPACE
NASA's abandoned ISEE-3 craft to return to Earth's orbit
Los Gatos, Calif. (UPI) Jun 16, 2013
NASA's so-called zombie probe, or ISEE-3, has been tumbling aimlessly through space for nearly 20 years. But structure is about to be reintroduced to the daily routine of the International Sun-Earth Explorer spacecraft, all thanks to a ragtag group of citizen astronomers and aerospace engineers. The California-based group, Skycorp, Inc., raised some $143,000 on the crowdfunding site Roc ... read more


TECH SPACE
NASA LRO's Moon As Art Collection Is Revealed

Solar photons drive water off the moon

55-year old dark side of the moon mystery solved

New evidence supporting moon formation via collision of 2 planets

TECH SPACE
Curiosity celebrates one-year Martian anniversary

Aluminum-Bearing Site on Mars Draws NASA Visitor

Mars Curiosity Rover Marks First Martian Year with Mission Successes

NASA Invites Comment on Mars 2020 Environmental Impact Statement

TECH SPACE
Orion Parachute Test Hits No Snags

NASA has a Problem with Unauthorized Access to it's Technologies

Elon Musk plans to take people to Mars within 10 years

Moon to see first tourists by 2017, single roundtrip ticket costs $150 mln

TECH SPACE
Chinese lunar rover alive but weak

China's Jade Rabbit moon rover 'alive but struggling'

Chinese space team survives on worm diet for 105 days

Moon rover Yutu comes closer to public

TECH SPACE
A Laser Message from Space

D-Day for the International Space Station

US expects to continue partnership with Russia on ISS after 2020

Station Crew Wraps Up Week With Medical Research

TECH SPACE
SpaceX to launch six satellites all at once

Arianespace A World Leader In The Satellite Launch Market

Airbus Group and Safran To Join Forces in Launcher Activities

European satellite chief says industry faces challenges

TECH SPACE
Mega-Earth in Draco Smashes Notions of Planetary Formation

Kepler space telescope ready to start new hunt for exoplanets

Astronomers Confounded By Massive Rocky World

Two planets orbit nearby ancient star

TECH SPACE
Strange physics turns off laser

Raytheon touts blimp-borne radar system

NIST technique could make sub-wavelength images at radio frequencies

Researchers develop new ultralight, ultrastiff 3D printed materials




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.