Space Science Missions & Instruments

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Ryan Nalty
Ìý Ìýryan.nalty@colorado.edu
Ìý 303-492-4916

AIM is a NASAÌýsatellite mission to study how polar mesospheric clouds form and why they vary. It was launched in 2007 and is still operational. LASP operates the mission and built two of the three instruments: the Cosmic Dust ExperimentÌýand the Cloud Imaging and Particle Size instrument.

Principal Investigators:

  • Ìý(Cosmic Dust Experiment);ÌýPhysics, LASP
  • Ìý(Cloud Imaging and Particle Size Instrument); Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences,ÌýLASP

A NASA/ESA mission to Saturn that was launched in 1997 and is still operating.ÌýLASP built the UVIS instrument to study Saturn UV emissions from its atmospheres, rings, and moons. The anticipated end date for Cassini is September 2017, when it will descend into Saturn.

Principal Investigator:

  • ;ÌýAstrophysical and Planetary Sciences,ÌýLASP

The groundbreaking Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) Pathfinder mission is scheduled to deploy on the ISSÌýby 2020. The mission will substantially improve the accuracy of Earth radiation measurements that will advance our ability to detect climate change and identify its causes. LASP was selected to build CLARREO’s Reflected Solar (RS) instrument, which will measure solar radiation reflected from Earth in wavelength bands covering most of the solar spectrum.

Principal Investigator:

  • ;ÌýAtmospheric and Oceanic Sciences,ÌýLASP

The Deep Space Climate ObservatoryÌýis a NOAA-led mission joint with NASA and the U.S. Air Force.ÌýLaunched February 11, 2015, DSCOVR is giving NOAA space weather forecasters more reliable information on potentially harmful solar activity.

Approximately 25 scientists who are part of the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder have been instrumental in working with their NOAA colleagues to put the data to good use daily in order to improve space weather forecasts (operations) and over the long-run (research).

A mission to study dynamic changes in the atmosphere of Mars over days and seasons, led by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

CU Boulder's is the leading U.S. scientific-academic partner. The project is being designed to observe weather phenomena like Martian clouds and dust storms as well as changes in temperature, water vaporÌýand other gases throughout the layers of the atmosphere.Ìý

LASP was selected by NASA to build one of the nine science instruments for its flagship mission to Europa. The Surface Dust Analyzer (SUDA) instrument is in development and will analyze icy dust particles to investigate the habitability of Europa. The instrument will be built and operated by LASP. The mission is scheduled to launch in the early 2020s.Ìý

Principal Investigator:

  • ;ÌýPhysics, LASP

Co-investigators:

  • ; Physics, LASP
  • ; Aerospace Engineering Sciences, LASP

A NOAA operational weather satellite program. LASP has built four copies of the EXIS instrument to provide measurements of the solar EUV irradiance for the GOES-R series of satellites. researchers have also developed the algorithms and other products necessary to support the use of GOES-R for describing space weather. The first GOES-R satellite will be launched on November 19, 2016 and operations for the four satellites is expected through 2034.

Principal Investigator:

  • ; LASP

A recently selected NASA mission of opportunity to image Earth’s upper atmosphere from geostationary orbit.

is building the imaging spectrograph and launch is planned for October 2017.

A recently selected NASA Explorer mission will probe the extreme variability of Earth's ionosphere with in-situ and remote-sensing instruments. Launch is planned for 2017.Ìý

Co-investigator:

  • ; Aerospace Engineering Sciences

A NASA mission to discover planets around other stars. LASP provides mission operations for the Kepler spacecraft that was built by Ball Aerospace.

Principal Investigator:

  • ;ÌýLASP

A NASA mission to Mars to explore its upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and interactions with the sun and solar wind.ÌýMAVEN launched in 2013 and entered Mars’ orbit on Sept. 21, 2014. The MAVEN mission PI is Professor Bruce Jakosky, and LASP provided two instruments and science operations. Lockheed Martin provided the spacecraft bus and mission operations.Ìý

Principal Investigator:

  • ; LASP, Geology

A NASA mission to Mercury that was launched in 2004 and arrived to Mercury in 2011.ÌýLASP built the MASCS instrument to study Mercury’s atmospheric and surface composition. The spacecraft impacted the surface of Mercury, as planned, on April 30, 2015.Ìý

Principal Investigator:

  • ; LASP

A NASA mission to study Earth’s magnetosphere that was launched in 2015.ÌýLASP is providing science operations of the four MMS satellites and built the FIELDS instrument.

SOC Principal Investigator:

  • ; Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, LASP

FIELDS Instrument Principal Investigator:

  • ;ÌýAstrophysical and Planetary Sciences, LASP

New Horizons is a NASA mission which conducted a successful flyby of Pluto in 2015.ÌýLASP provided the SDC student instrument to study the dust in the heliosphere during the transient to Pluto and also the dust environment near Pluto.Ìý

Principal Investigator:

  • ; Physics, LASP

A NASA mission to monitor the sea surface winds. LASP provides mission operations for the QuikSCAT spacecraft that was built by Ball Aerospace.Ìý

Principal Investigator:

  • ;ÌýLASP

A NASA mission to GEO that was launched in 2010 and is observing the Sun continuously (24/7 with 10-sec cadence) to understand better the causes of solar variability and its space weather impacts on Earth. LASP provided the EVE instrument to observed the solar EUV irradiance and the spectral variability of solar flares.

Principal Investigator:

  • ; LASP

A NASA mission to fly by the Sun to study the solar corona and solar wind acceleration mechanisms. SPP is expected to launch in 2018.ÌýLASP is providing instrument subsystems for the Fields experiment.

Principal Investigator:

  • ; Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, LASP

A NASA mission to monitor the solar irradiance variability and its influence on climate change. LASP leads this PI-mode mission and provides mission operations, science operations, and built the five instruments aboard SORCE.ÌýThe SORCE spacecraft was built by Orbital. SORCE launched in 2003 and is still operational.

Principal Investigator:

  • ; LASP

Original PI:

  • ;ÌýLASP

A NOAA TSIS instrument aboard Ball’s STPSat-3 was launched in 2013, and this instrument measures the total solar irradiance (TSI) and provides a continuation of LASP’s TSI record started by SORCE.

NOAA TSIS Principal Investigator:

  • ;ÌýAtmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, LASP

​â¶Ä‹TCTE Instrument PI:

  • ;ÌýLASP

A NOAA/NASA climate instrument suite to measure the solar irradiance and its influence on climate change. This is a follow-on mission to SORCE to continue the solar climate records.ÌýTSIS-1 is expected to be launched to ISS in 2017, and TSIS-2 mission development began in 2015.

Principal Investigator:

  • ; Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, LASP

A NASA mission launched in 2012 to understand the sun’s influence on Earth and near-Earth space by studying the Earth’s radiation belts on various scales of space and time. LASP’s relativistic electron proton telescope and scientists are a part of the mission.

Instrument Private Investigators: Ìý

  • ; Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, LASP
  • ; Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences, LASP

A NASA New Frontier mission to an asteroid that launched in September 2016 and will acquire and return samples in 2022 that will help explain our solar system's formation and how life began. Professor (AES and CCAR) is a Co-Investigator on the mission and leads the Radio Science Team.ÌýProfessor (AES) is the lead Radio Science analyst.Ìý

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z9vqcObsdU]

A CU Boulder designed and built the Lunar Dust EXperiment instrument for NASA’s LADEE space mission. The spacecraft was launched in September 2013 and is currently orbiting the Moon, where it has completed its mission to collect data on the lunar atmosphere and dust environment. LADEE impacted the lunar surface, as planned, on April 17, 2014.

Principal Investigator:

  • ; Aerospace Engineering Sciences, LASP

A three-satellite ESA mission aimed at better understanding Earth's magnetic field and its variability. It launched successfully on November 22, 2013.

Science Principal Investigator:

  • ;ÌýAerospace Engineering Sciences