학술논문

Miniature X-Ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS) - A Science-Oriented, University 3U CubeSat
Document Type
Working Paper
Source
Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, Vol. 53, Issue 2, pp. 328-339; 2016 March 10
Subject
Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Physics - Geophysics
Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors
Physics - Space Physics
Language
Abstract
The Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS) is a 3-Unit (3U) CubeSat developed at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado, Boulder (CU). Over 40 students contributed to the project with professional mentorship and technical contributions from professors in the Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department at CU and from LASP scientists and engineers. The scientific objective of MinXSS is to study processes in the dynamic Sun, from quiet-Sun to solar flares, and to further understand how these changes in the Sun influence the Earth's atmosphere by providing unique spectral measurements of solar soft x-rays (SXRs). The enabling technology providing the advanced solar SXR spectral measurements is the Amptek X123, a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) silicon drift detector (SDD). The Amptek X123 has a low mass (~324 g after modification), modest power consumption (~2.50 W), and small volume (6.86 cm x 9.91 cm x 2.54 cm), making it ideal for a CubeSat. This paper provides an overview of the MinXSS mission: the science objectives, project history, subsystems, and lessons learned that can be useful for the small-satellite community.
Comment: 32 pages, 13 figures, 1 table; submitted to Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets