| Institution: | 1. Inst. for Phys. Sci. and Tech., University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA;2. Dept. of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA;3. Dept. of Physics, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA;4. Dept. of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746, Republic of Korea;5. Instituto de Fisica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Circuito de la Investigación s/n,Ciudad Universitaria, CP 04510 México Distrito Federal, Mexico;6. Laboratoire de Physique Subatomique et de Cosmologie, UJF – CNRS/IN2P3 – INP, 53 rue des Martyrs, 38026 Grenoble Cedex, France;g Dept. of Physics, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701, Republic of Korea;h Astroparticle Physics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA;i Dept. of Physics and Geology, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA |
| Abstract: | The Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass (CREAM) instrument is configured with a suite of particle detectors to measure TeV cosmic-ray elemental spectra from protons to iron nuclei over a wide energy range. The goal is to extend direct measurements of cosmic-ray composition to the highest energies practical, and thereby have enough overlap with ground based indirect measurements to answer questions on cosmic-ray origin, acceleration and propagation. The balloon-borne CREAM was flown successfully for about 161 days in six flights over Antarctica to measure elemental spectra of Z = 1–26 nuclei over the energy range 1010 to >1014 eV. Transforming the balloon instrument into ISS-CREAM involves identification and replacement of components that would be at risk in the International Space Station (ISS) environment, in addition to assessing safety and mission assurance concerns. The transformation process includes rigorous testing of components to reduce risks and increase survivability on the launch vehicle and operations on the ISS without negatively impacting the heritage of the successful CREAM design. The project status, including results from the ongoing analysis of existing data and, particularly, plans to increase the exposure factor by another order of magnitude utilizing the International Space Station are presented. |
