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Completed TRL 3 (started at 3, targeting 5)
We are developing and IMS that can be used to measure the solar wind ion composition and measure interstellar pick up ions. This instrument will support a future heliospheric missions that measures fast neutrals from the outer boundaries of the solar wind. This instrument will have unique ion composition capabilities and will be designed to work in the transient energetic particle events such as Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRS), Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) events. In addition, the IMS can be used for planetary missions including missions with high radiation environment such as Io and Europa.
We are developing this instrument based on an ongoing development effort, completing 9.5-27 MeV irradiation tests of microchannel plate (MCP) shielding designs, and ion beam testing the instrument's tapered linear electric field time-of-flight section using the Suprathermal Ion Mass Spectrometry Lab at Goddard for ion energies from 100 V to 15 kV. We have also shown that the Circular Wien Filter with tophat Electrostatic Analyzer works successfully from 50 V to 10 kV.for a wide range of ion mass per charge (M/Q).
Results will allow one to correctly model background from penetrating energetic particles into lower energy particle instruments from such missions as Galileo, Cassini, Van Allen Probes and the Europa Multiple Flyby Mission (EMFM).
Will allow one to properly design and shield low energy particle instrumentation against penetrating particles for future missions to the inner heliosphere and the planetary magnetospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
Will allow one to design spacecraft and their instrumentation that must operate within the radiation belts of the Earth. This includes particle and photon counting detectors. In addition, IMS would be useful for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and space mining applications to assay abundances of water and high-demand trace elements.
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