Award Abstract # 2338825
CAREER: Securing the Future of Electric Field Measurements in Space Physics

NSF Org: AGS
Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences
Recipient: WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CORPORATION
Initial Amendment Date: January 25, 2024
Latest Amendment Date: January 25, 2024
Award Number: 2338825
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Chia-Lin Huang
chihuang@nsf.gov
 (703)292-7544
AGS
 Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences
GEO
 Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date: March 1, 2024
End Date: February 28, 2029 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $1,076,144.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $85,371.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2024 = $85,371.00
History of Investigator:
  • Katherine Goodrich (Principal Investigator)
    katherine.goodrich@mail.wvu.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: West Virginia University Research Corporation
886 CHESTNUT RIDGE ROAD
MORGANTOWN
WV  US  26505-2742
(304)293-3998
Sponsor Congressional District: 02
Primary Place of Performance: West Virginia University
White Hall, Box 6315, West Virginia University
MORGANTOWN
WV  US  26505-2742
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
02
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): M7PNRH24BBM8
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS
Primary Program Source: 01002425DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01002728DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01002829DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 1045, 9150
Program Element Code(s): 575000
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.050

ABSTRACT

The space physics community has spent the last decade optimizing particle and magnetic field instruments to operate on small spacecraft or CubeSat. This enables more high-quality measurements of space plasma with cost-effective hardware. The same optimization of electric field instruments has not been achieved, leaving a gap in our ability to observe the space environment with cost-effective spacecraft. Accurate electric field measurements are crucial for understanding the space plasma processes, particularly at small scales. This CAREER project seeks to narrow this gap and take a vital step in optimizing electric field instrumentation to operate on CubeSats. Doing so allows us to step toward a future where the most fundamental physics can be thoroughly observed and studied. The educational objectives are to develop open-source software to allow students to access and analyze data, and engage students in hardware flight-readiness testing. This award mainly supports an early-career female professor in West Virginia, an EPSCoR state.

In this study, the PI will design a CubeSat mission specifically utilizing electric field double probe instrumentation. It will observe plasma dynamics in the Auroral Acceleration Region (AAR), a plasma region that bridges the Earth's ionosphere and magnetosphere. This mission will address the scientific questions: 1) What is the perpendicular spatial and temporal structure of the electric and magnetic field in the AAR? 2) What is the perpendicular spatial and temporal behavior of the electrons in the AAR? 3) How do the first two questions vary in altitude? We will design and utilize the electric field instrument necessary to address these questions for this mission. This design will be the first step in optimizing electric field instrumentation for small-sat technology. This will enable the pursuit of numerous future opportunities to observe and study space physics in cost-effective ways and offer her expertise in higher-class missions that utilize electric field instruments. Additionally, this study will expose opportunities in space science to underrepresented students and provide possible gateways to career opportunities in space physics. During this study, project high school students in West Virginia will participate in various activities related to the design of the CubeSat. This will include analyzing observational data, coding, and preparing CubeSat hardware for spaceflight.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.

Print this page

Back to Top of page