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Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM)

Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM). AGENDA 8:00 Introduction Os Cuevas 8:15 Science Jim Russell 9:15 Spacecraft Dave Welch 10:00 Mission Operations Dave Welch 10:30 Break 10:45 SOFIE Instrument/Data Mark Hervig

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Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM)

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  1. Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) • AGENDA • 8:00 Introduction Os Cuevas • 8:15 Science Jim Russell • 9:15 Spacecraft Dave Welch • 10:00 Mission Operations Dave Welch • 10:30 Break • 10:45 SOFIE Instrument/Data Mark Hervig • 11:30 CDE Instrument/Data Mihaly Horanyi • 12:15 Lunch • 1:15 CIPS Instrument/Data Cora Randall • 2:00 PDC, Data Accessibility John McNabb • 2:45 Break • 3:00 AIM EPO Scott Bailey • 3:15 Cost/Schedule Len McMaster • 3:45 Summary Jim Russell • 4:00 Adjourn

  2. Review Guidelines • How well the mission met its original objectives • Assessment of mission success • Assessment of how well the Level 1 requirements have been met • Review of performance versus specifications • Technical assessment of spacecraft and operations • On-orbit performance over time for each subsystem • Scientific assessment of data products • Data maturity including version history, release dates, accessibility, • calibration, and error estimates • Estimates of community use and publication history • Baseline for lessons-learned • Predictions of future performance

  3. AIM Main Objectives • AIM is the first satellite mission dedicated to the study of noctilucent or “night-shining” clouds (NLCs) also called Polar Mesospheric clouds (PMCs). • Primary goal is to explain why PMCs form and what is causing the mysterious changes in their behavior. • Main objectives of the mission are: • 1. PMC Microphysics: What is the global morphology of PMC particle size, occurrence frequency and dependence upon H2O and temperature? • 2. Gravity Wave Effects: Do gravity waves (GWs) enhance PMC formation by perturbing the required temperature for condensation and nucleation? • 3. Temperature Variability: How does dynamical variability control the length of the cold summer mesopause season, its latitudinal extent and possible interhemispheric asymmetry? • 4. Hydrogen Chemistry: What are the relative roles of gas phase chemistry, surface chemistry, condensation/sublimation and dynamics in determining the variability of water vapor in the polar mesosphere? • 5. PMC Nucleation Environment: Is PMC formation controlled solely by changes in the frost point or do extraterrestrial forcings such as cosmic dust influx or ionization sources play a role? • 6. Long-Term Mesospheric Change: What is needed to establish a physical basis for the study of mesospheric climate change and its relationship to global change?

  4. AIM Mission Overview • Launch: April 25, 2007, Pegasus XL • Location: Vandenberg, AFB at CA • Orbit: Circular Polar (sun-synchronous) • I=97.8º, Alt=375 mi • Period: 96 min, 32 sec • Observatory: Integrated by Orbital, Operated by Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) • Dimensions: 43” width, 55” height • Mass: 195 kg • Attitude Control: Three-axis stabilized • Communications: • Uplink: S-band @ 2 kbps • Downlink: S-band @ 2 Mbps (GN) or 4 kbps (SN) • Instruments: SOFIE, CIPS and CDE (all three operating nominally) • Investigations: • To Study Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs), the Earth’s highest clouds, which form an icy membrane 50 miles above the surface at the edge of space. Since being first observed in 1885, they have been becoming brighter, more frequent, and appear to be moving to lower latitudes in recent years. Primary goal is to explain why PMCs form and what is causing the mysterious changes in their behavior.

  5. AIM Mission Overview (Cont) • AIM Prime Mission: 4/25/07 through 6/30/09 (27 months) • Hampton University is the prime contractor with the following subcontractors: LASP, Orbital, GMU, VPI, USU, and GATS and NRL • Principal Investigator: Dr. James Russell • Mission Directors • Os Cuevas appointed March 2009 • Robert Dutilly and Steve Odendahl during the prime mission • On April 2008: AIM Senior Proposal Submitted to NASA HQ • Received extension through FY12 • Next Senior Review in 2010 • Total Budget allocated, obligated and spent during Prime Mission (including Development): Approx $115Millions • Explorer Mission Cap: $100.8M (through the end of the baseline mission, 5/30/2009) • Actuals: $115.0M (through 5/31/09) -- includes growth for the redesign and resulting launch slip to deal with the increased launch loads and the in-orbit receiver anomaly, likely the result of the increased launch loads as well.. • All mission requirements have successfully been met • Science Data Capture: 99.2 % (on average), Requirement (90%)

  6. AIM Instruments • Cloud Imaging and Particle Size (CIPS) • Four cameras positioned at different angles • Allows 2-D look at clouds as the S/C passes and looks back at them. • Allows scientists to determine the size of ice particles that make up the cloud • Instrument continues to operate nominally • Solar Occultation For Ice Experiment (SOFIE) • Uses solar occultation to measure cloud particles, temperatures, and atmospheric gases involved in forming the clouds • Instrument continues to operate nominally • Cosmic Dust Experiment (CDE) • Records the amount of space dust that enters the atmosphere from the cosmos • Allows scientists to determine the role the particles have in PMC formation • Instrument continues to operate nominally

  7. Prime Mission Status (Major events) • Prime Mission Operations Summary: • Launch April 25, 2007 into 600 km circular orbit (best Pegasus insertion ever) • May 5, 2007 – First loss of bitlock • May 22-23, 2007 – Instruments “commissioned” in about 7 hours • May 23, 2007 – First PMCs detected after SOFIE turn-on • June 1, 2007 – AIM Prime Mission begins after commissioning completion • July 5, 2007 – TMON/RTS to detect GN uplink (high-rate/dump recorders) enabled • July 16, 2007 – SOFIE Autonomy put into operational use • July 24, 2007 – Downlink card lockup • October 2, 2007 – CIPS autonomy validated • October 18, 2007 – TMON/RTS Control validated • February 7, 2008 – Safehold #1 (36.4 day recovery) • March 26-27, 2008 – OOMP validated • April 2, 2008 – Morse code validation completed • October 13, 2008 – Safehold #2 (4.3 day recovery) • November 8, 2008 – Safehold #3 (3.7 day recovery) • January 12, 2009 – Safehold #4 (3.8 day recovery) • February 6, 2009 – Safehold #5 (4.0 day recovery) • February 18, 2009 – Safehold Patch installation completed (validated May 8, 2009)

  8. PMC Seasons Overview Prime Mission Science: NH PMC Season #1 (May 23, 2007 to August 28, 2007) SH PMC Season #1 (November 28, 2007 to ?) → Safehold #1 on February 8, 2008 caused early end of data capture NH PMC Season #2 (May 24, 2008 to August 30, 2008) SH PMC Season #2 (November 27, 2008 to February 18, 2009) NH PMC Season #3 started May 16, 2009 (continued into the extended mission).

  9. Data Capture and Loss Statistics (Prime Mission) • Bus Housekeeping VCDUs recorded 52,918,897 • VCDUs captured 52,526,118 • VCDUs lost 392,779 • Percent Captured         99.26% • Instrument Housekeeping and CDE Science VCDUs recorded 5,843,807 • VCDUs captured 5,809,271 • VCDUs lost 34,536 • Percent Captured 99.41% • CIPS and SOFIE Science • VCDUs recorded 95,973,442 • VCDUs captured 95,280,632 • VCDUs lost 692,810 • Percent Captured 99.28% • __________________________________________ • CDE Outages • No usable data after first safehold event (2008/038-09:40:23) • TOTAL DATA = 34.4% • CIPS Outages Planning Error (lost 5 orbits 2007/157-158)* • Autonomy Test (lost 3 orbits 2007/223)* • Safehold #1 (2008/038-09:40 to 076/14:33)* • Planning Error (lost 1 orbit 2008/214)* • Safehold #2 (2008/287-23:58 to ~292/08:00) • Safehold #3 (2008/313-14:49 to ~317/06:20) • Safehold #4 (2009/013-00:47 to ~016/18:30)* • Safehold #5 (2009/037-06:10 to ~040/20:40)* • SH → NH Trans w/SH FC (lost 1 orbit 2009/128) • TOTAL DATA = 92.8% (Bus -7.1%; Ops -0.1%) • SOFIE OutagesSafehold #1 (2008/038-09:40 to 074/16:05)* • Sunrise Occultation during Eclipse (2008/214)* • Sunset SSF did not run (2008/286-18:03:49) • Safehold #2 (2008/287-23:58 to ~291/18:10) • Safehold #3 (2008/313-14:49 to 316/18:40) • Safehold #4 (2009/013-00:47 to 016/06:31)* • Safehold #5 (2009/037-06:10 to 040/08:31)* • C&DH Boot Error (2009/040-08:31 to 043/22:14)* • TOTAL DATA = 92.7% (Bus -6.8%; SOFIE -0.5%)

  10. Spacecraft Operations Summary • How well is AIM performing? • Spacecraft bus has done extremely well • Exceeded expectations in all aspects • All Instruments are in excellent health – with the following exceptions: • CDE has experienced a higher than anticipated level of noise across all detectors • that is uncorrelated with spacecraft activities • Flight Operations Team (FOT) has efficiently operated AIM • Data Captured >99% of the science data (requirement 90%) • Operations anomalies have been quickly resolved • Only 7 major anomalies have been experienced during prime mission • How well might AIM perform during an extended mission • Receiver anomaly has been fully mitigated • Anomaly functioning flawlessly • CDE noise increase does not impact extended mission • CDE is not part of the extended mission • Dust measurements are produced by SOFIE • Limited life items (battery/reaction wheels) are closely monitored and properly managed • Spacecraft bus, CIPS and SOFIE are healthy and performing nominally • AIM favorably evaluated during 2008 Senior Review • - Extended mission began June 1, 2009 • - It will be part of 2010 Senior Review

  11. BACKUP SLIDES

  12. AIM Spacecraft

  13. LASP Facility

  14. CIPS IMAGE Day 195/2009

  15. SSMO Code 444 Organization

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