RocketSat VI Meteoric Smoke Particles

1. RocketSat VIMeteoric Smoke Particles June 23, 2010 Colorado Space Grant Consortium RocketSat VI 1

2. Mission Overview • Goal is to characterize atmosphere for amount of meteoric smoke particles • Looking for numerical density/altitude and charge • Particles are being studied by many scientists for effects on upper atmosphere • Possible connection to PMCs • Models predicting global shift of these particles, not proven • Have been measured <10 times

3. Background: Meteoric Dust Polar Mesosphere summer echoes (PSME): review of observations and current understandings M. Rapp abd F.-J. Lϋbken Beibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics Colorado Space Grant Consortium RocketSat VI 3 • Meteoroids enter atmosphere and disintegrate • Up to 100 metric tons of meteoric debris per day • Meteoric dust remains mostly in the mesosphere • Dust particles remain in the atmosphere for several months • Water freezes around nucleus • Particles descend and increase in size as more water is frozen to the exterior

4. Significance of Results Noctilucent Clouds Minimum temperatures nearing 140 K allow for heterogeneous nucleation of ice Meteoric smoke particles most likely serve as nucleus Growth to a radius of up to 50 nm Particles visible as Noctilucent clouds(NLC) Also known as polar mesospheric clouds (PMC) Global Warming • Larger concentrations of methane results in more water vapor • Larger concentrations of carbon dioxide results in cooler temperatures • Cooler temperatures and more water vapor correlate to more ice particles Credit: NASA/Donald Petit. Colorado Space Grant Consortium RocketSat VI 4

5. Expected Results • Previous experiments show a higher concentration of these particles in the atmosphere from 75 – 95 km • Expect similar trends in data but smaller magnitude Colorado Space Grant Consortium RocketSat VI

6. Particle Detectors • Graphite patch detectors – detect current • As a particle impacts the detector, charge is deposited onto graphite and creates a current • Equation required to convert measured current to numerical density Colorado Space Grant Consortium RocketSat VI

7. Numerical Density • I: current • obtained from graphite patch detector • Seff : effective area of graphite patch detector • = area of patch * sin(angle of attack) • Gyroscopes used to measure position to obtain AOA • u: velocity of rocket • Using accelerometers to determine velocity • q: one elementary charge • 1.602×10−19 coulombs Colorado Space Grant Consortium RocketSat VI 7

8. Electrical System • Five electronics boards used to store flight data • Individual microcontrollers, memory, and power • CVAs – Current to Voltage Amplifiers • Amplify current signal from detector and convert to voltage • MEPO – MEsospheric Particle Observation board • Measures voltage incoming from CVAs • SCIENCE – measures angular spin rate on pitch, roll, yaw axes • AVR – collects acceleration data Colorado Space Grant Consortium RocketSat VI

9. Flight Boards Science Board MEPO Board AVR Board Colorado Space Grant Consortium RocketSat VI 9

10. Structure • Shared canister with Virginia Tech • Stacked multiple boards on each plate • Used steel rods around standoffs for ballast Colorado Space Grant Consortium RocketSat VI