1. Radiation Belt Storm Probes (Van Allen Probes) Launched 30 August 2012
Movie courtesy of NASA

2. Van Allen Probes Science Objectives, Instruments, & Data
Brett Anderson
Dartmouth College
16 June 2013
GEM Student Tutorial
Artistic rendering courtesy of NASA

3. Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP)
Launched:
30 August 2012
4:05 am EDT
Cape Canaveral, FL
Atlas V Rocket
Renamed:
9 November 2012
Van Allen Probes

4. Van Allen Probes Orbit Information
Identical spacecraft
Equatorial orbit
Perigee: ~1.1 RE
Apogee: ~5.8 RE
9 hour period
Complete MLT coverage over whole mission
Spin stabilized, ~5 RPM
Spin axis towards sun
One satellite laps the other every ~75 days for simultaneous observations over a range of spacecraft separations
Expected lifetime: 2014 – 2015
RBSP
THEMIS
Spacecraft lap twice per quadrant (4-5 laps/year) for simultaneous observations over a range of s/c separations.
600 km perigee to 5.8 RE geocentric apogee for full radiation belts sampling.

5. Van Allen Probes Science Objectives
Discover which processes, singly or in combination, accelerate and transport radiation belt electrons and ions and under what conditions.
Understand and quantify the loss of radiation belt electrons and determine the balance between competing acceleration and loss processes.
Understand how the radiation belts change in the context of geomagnetic storms.

6. Van Allen Probes What measurements are made?
Particles & Plasma
- Electrons
+ Protons & Ions
Fields
Magnetic
Electric
Waves
The Van Allen Probes have the best instrumentation to be launched into the heart of the radiation belts, ever!
Detection sensitivity
Energy resolution
Temporal sampling cadence
Two spacecraft are better than one! Especially since their separation distance varies!
Artistic rendering courtesy of NASA

7. Van Allen Probes Instrumentation
Particles
&
Fields
Van Allen Probes Instrumentation
Particles & Plasma
Energetic Particle, Composition, and Thermal Plasma Suite (ECT)
Dr. Harlan Spence, The University of New Hampshire
RBSP Ion Composition Experiment (RBSPICE)
Dr. Louis Lanzerotti, The New Jersey Institute of Technology
Relativistic Proton Spectrometer (RPS)
Dr. David Byers, National Reconnaissance Office (*not pictured)
Dr. Joseph Mazur, Aerospace Corporation (at left)
Fields
Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science (EMFISIS)
Dr. Craig Kletzing, The University of Iowa
Electric Field and Waves Suite (EFW)
Dr. John Wygant, The University of Minnesota
Assembly and Operation
Johns Hopkins University — Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU-APL)

8. Particles
&
Fields
Diagram courtesy of NASA

9. EMFISIS Data Whistler-mode Chorus Waves
FIELDS
(Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science)
EMFISIS Data Whistler-mode Chorus Waves
Frequency
kHz
Color:
Wave
Power
Burst Mode =
High time
resolution!
Waveform
Whistler-mode Chorus is capable of:
Accelerating
AND
Depleting
radiation belt electrons!
(microburst precipitation)
Figure courtesy of Craig Kletzing

10. Particles
&
Fields
Diagram courtesy of NASA

11. EFW Data Low frequency electric fields
(Electric Field and Waves)
EFW Data Low frequency electric fields
Data: Ex from RBSP-B and RBSP-A on October 13, 2012
Two Spacecraft!
Slightly different orbits
separation ~1/3 of orbit =
Better Spatial & Temporal Resolution!
> 5-hours Ex
(mV/m)
Spacecraft
Perigees
Low frequency waves at outer edge of radiation belts might be responsible for rapidly accelerating electrons!
Also…for depleting electrons! Ex
(mV/m) UT
13 October 2012
Figure courtesy of Craig Kletzing

12. Particles
&
Fields
Diagram courtesy of NASA

13. ECT Data Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT)
Particles
(Energetic Particle, Composition, and Thermal Plasma Suite)
ECT Data Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT) 6 5
L* 4 3 2 1
4.5 MeV
Color =
Flux
31 August 2012
16 October 2012
Meridional Projection of REPT Electron Flux
Video courtesy of LASP

14. ECT Data Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT)
Particles
(Energetic Particle, Composition, and Thermal Plasma Suite)
ECT Data Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT)
4.5 MeV
Interplanetary Shock Waves
Baker et al., 2013

15. Van Allen Probes The Van Allen Radiation Belts are highly dynamic!
With the Van Allen Probes, we are beginning to see much more detailed structure and behavior!
We still don’t know a lot about the radiation belts.
The Van Allen Probes have the best instrumentation to be launched into the heart of the radiation belts, ever!
So, there’s LOTS of data to be looked at, LOTS of science results to be discovered, and lots to be learned about the radiation belts.

16. Mission of Opportunity BARREL
Particles
Mission of Opportunity BARREL
Balloon Array for Radiation-belt Relativistic Electron Losses
P.I. Robyn Millan, Dartmouth College
Scientific Goals:
Determine total relativistic electron loss rates to atmosphere
Characterize spatial structure of precipitation
Determine relative importance of various types of precipitation
BARREL payloads measure bremsstrahlung x-rays at ~35 km, incident from “precipitating” radiation-belt relativistic electrons
The BARREL array of 5-8 balloon-borne payloads simultaneously detects precipitating electrons over 8-10 hours of MLT
Two Antarctic campaigns of 20 identical payloads, each
January 2013, completed
January 2014

17. Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment (CSSWE)
P.I. Xinlin Li
Launched:
13 September 2012
Last contact:
7 March 2013
Measures Electron & Proton Flux on a Low Earth Orbit
CSSWE
RBSP
OUTER
RADIATION
BELT
Electrons
CSSWE
At the University of Colorado we are building the Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment
Our orbital requirements are 450 to 600 km and >55 degree inclination
The CSSWE is also measuring relativistic particles 8 6
L 4 2

18. Advertisement for Focus Group: Magnetic Field Mapping
Fields
&
Particles
Advertisement for Focus Group: Magnetic Field Mapping
Sessions in Salon D:
Monday at 10:30
Focus on “conjunctions” of Van Allen Probes and other experiments (THEMIS, BARREL balloons, CSSWE cube sat, ground-based data, etc…)
Monday at 1:30
Tuesday at 10:30
Focus Group Organizers:
Eric Donovan
Elizabeth MacDonald
Robyn Millan
RBSP spacecraft
Magnetic footprints
L-shells
BARREL Payloads
Image courtesy of Alexa Halford

19. Check it out on the web!

20. Check it out on the web!

21. The End

24. Van Allen Probes Instrumentation
ECT
HOPE
MagEIS
REPT
RBSPICE
RPS
EFW
EMFISIS
Search-Coil magnetometer
Flux-Gate magnetometer
Diagram courtesy of NASA

26. K&R figure of energy of particles in rad belts EMFISIS Data slide:
Pictures of Pis
K&R figure of energy of particles in rad belts
EMFISIS Data slide:
KHz top plot vertical axis, color=“wave power”
No counts on lower plot vertical axis
EFW Data slide:
Take out all the facts at bottom, except UT.
Take out vertical axis labels
Point out when apogee, perigee, etc…
Point out which aspect of science objective, each data slide is dealing with.