Status of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a joint US/German project, is a 2.5-m infrared airborne telescope carried by a Boeing 747-SP that flies in the stratosphere at altitudes as high as 45,000 ft (13.72 km). This facility is capable of observing from 0.3 μm to 1.6 mm with an average transmission greater than 80% averaged over all wavelengths. SOFIA will be staged out of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center aircraft operations facility at Palmdale, CA. The SOFIA Science Mission Operations (SMO) will be located at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA. First science flights began in 2010 and a full operations schedule of up to one hundred 8 to 10 hour-long flights per year will be reached by 2014. The observatory is expected to operate until the mid-2030s. SOFIA’s initial complement of seven focal plane instruments includes broadband imagers, moderate-resolution spectrographs that will resolve broad features due to dust and large molecules, and high-resolution spectrometers capable of studying the kinematics of atomic and molecular gas at sub-km/s resolution. We describe the SOFIA facility and outline the opportunities for observations by the general scientific community and for future instrumentation development. The operational characteristics of the SOFIA first-generation instruments are summarized. The status of the flight test program is discussed and we show First Light images obtained at wavelengths from 5.4 to 37 μm with the FORCAST imaging camera. Additional information about SOFIA is available at http://www.sofia.usra.edu and http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Science/docs/SofiaScienceVision051809-1.pdf.     

Modelling of low-energy galactic electrons in the heliosheath

The modulation of cosmic ray electrons in the heliosphere plays an important role in improving our understanding and assessment of the processes applicable to low-energy galactic electrons. A full three-dimensional numerical model based on Parker’s transport equation is used to study the modulation of 10 MeV galactic electrons, in particular inside the heliosheath. The emphasis is placed on the role that perpendicular diffusion plays in causing the extraordinary large increase in the observed intensities of these electrons in the heliosheath. The modelling is compared with observations of 6–14 MeV electrons from the Voyager 1 mission. Results are shown for the radial intensity profiles of these electrons, as well as the modulation effects of varying the extent of the heliosheath by changing the location of the termination shock and the heliopause and the value of the local interstellar spectrum. We confirm that the heliosheath acts as a modulation ‘barrier’ for low-energy galactic electrons. The significance of this result depends on how wide the inner heliosheath is; on how high the very local interstellar spectrum is at these low energies (E < 100 MeV) and on how small perpendicular diffusion is inside the inner heliosheath.     

Thermal drill sampling system onboard high-velocity impactors for exploring the subsurface of Europa

The planned Europa Jupiter System Mission (EJSM) will provide a unique opportunity to place scientific instruments onto the surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa in the late 2020s. After the Galileo mission, this will be a long awaited chance to have a close glimpse into some of the mysteries of this moon. Care must be taken in the choice of in-situ science that will be undertaken on the surface.     

Comparison of Diurnal,Seasonal and Solar Cycle Variations of High-latitude,Mid-latitude and Low-latitude Ionosphere

Comparison of regular (diurnal, seasonal and solar cycle) variations of high-latitude,mid-latitude and low-latitude ionospheric characteristics has been provided on basis of local empirical models of the peak electron density and the peak height. The local empirical models were derived from the hand-scaled ionogram data recorded by DPS-4 digisondes located at Norilsk (69°N, 88°E), Irkutsk (52°N, 104°E) and Hainan (19°N, 109°E) for a 6-year period from December, 2002 to December, 2008. The technique used to build the local empirical model is described. The primary focus is diurnal-seasonal behavior under low solar activity and its change with increasing solar activity. Both common and specific features of the high-latitude (Norilsk), mid-latitude (Irkutsk) and low-latitude (Hainan) regular variations were revealed using their local empirical models.     

Instrument concept and preliminary performance analysis of GLORIA

The Global Radiance Limb Imager Experiment for the Atmosphere (GLORIA) shall provide a detailed global picture of the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere region (UTLS) and make available novel information on small-scale atmospheric dynamics.

The instrument will be a space borne imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer operating in the thermal infrared spectral region. It will produce spectrally resolved images of the earth’s limb with a vertical extension of 60 km and a horizontal extension of 400 km. The paper focuses on the preliminary instrument concept and on results of studies concerning sensitivity and spectrometric performance. GLORIA has been proposed as a national German space mission. An aircraft version is currently under development.     

Solar wind and magnetosheath observations at Earth during August 1972

Experimental data of Prognoz, Prognoz-2 and HEOS-2 on interplanetary plasma and magnetosheath plasma in the period of unusual solar activity in August 1972 are considered. All measurements showed the extremal plasma properties with strong variations. Attempt is made to identify the structure according to near-Earth observations. The positions of the magnetopause and bow shock suffered significant variations during this time interval.     

Successful Large-Scale Use of CMOS Devices on Spacecraft Traveling Through Intense Radiation Belts

This paper describes the environmental models of the radiation belts and computational techniques which have been developed for predicting the radiation hazards for spacecraft These data and techniques are then applied to the Atmosphere Explorer 51 spacecraft to explain its successful survival for more than 18 months in a severe environment In particular, the results of the analysis are used to explain the performance of sonm 2400 CMOS devices, and consequently, they demonstrate the reliability of this device technology gy in spacecraft systems.     

Determination of Failure Thresholds in Hybrid Navigation

A systematic approach for the determination of failure thresholds for hybrid navigation systems is described. Cost functions which reflect the importance assigned to the consequences of false and missed alarms are minimized. The false alarm probability is obtained as a function of the threshold magnitude by observing the statistical behavior of the instrument outputs in the normal operating mode. The missed alarm probability is obtained by determining the sensitivity of navigation error performance to instrument error sources. Two cost functions are considered. To illustrate this method, failure detection and identification (FDI) thresholds are determined for the Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Test flight.