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Completed TRL 5 (started at 5, targeting 6)
The Charge Analyzer Responsive to Local Oscillations (CARLO) instrument is an in situ plasma ion spectrometer that provides high-speed (~few kHz) temporal measurements of ionospheric plasma density in low Earth orbit (LEO). This TIP will be used for environmental testing of the engineering development unit to TRL6.
The CARLO instrument, in its present form, will be used as a space weather monitor in LEO. CARLO specifically addresses the need for ionospheric space weather alarms that can be used operationally in real time for outages in space-based communication and navigation systems. Scientists from NASA and other USG Agencies that relay on GPS timing or positioning data can benefit from real-time alerts from CARLO (when it is integrated with an operational warning system). Once CARLO is demonstrated, two spin-off designs are envisioned: An ion drift meter that is at least 10-times more precise than present techonology, and a solar wind turbulence monitor, which is useful for basic science research.
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