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Completed TRL 6 (started at 4, targeting 6)
The Advanced Electric Field Deployment Systems provide prototype design, analysis, fabrication, and testing of advance electric field deployers (or booms) that are currently under development at Goddard Space Flight Center for numerous electric field experiments envisioned for future Heliophysics space missions.
Since electric field boom systems impact spacecraft design and planning, a nominal boom system is essential to establish basic technical and scientific design and performance. The project leverages Goddard Space Flight Center expertise in a wide number of areas within the Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate (AETD) as well as the Sciences and Exploration Directorate. The prototype advanced electric field boom design include both rigid booms, appropriate for non-spinning satellites as well as booms to be deployed along the spin axis of spinning satellites and wire booms for spinning spacecraft including sounding rockets. The booms nominally deploy spherical electric field sensors, but other types of sensors may deployed with these units. The project includes the design, analysis, fabrication, and test of prototype units advanced to the point where they may serve as a solid foundation for the fabrication of electric field booms for spaceflight use.
Enable accurate vector measurements of DC and AC electric fields in space, in a vairety of plasma environments.
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