Using Science Imaging Instruments as Sensors of the Jovian High-Energy Electron Environment

When:
February 13, 2018 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm America/New York Timezone
2018-02-13T18:30:00-05:00
2018-02-13T20:30:00-05:00
Where:
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
3 Forbes Rd
Lexington, MA 02421
USA

Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society, cosponsoring Aerospace and Electronic Systems and Women in Engineering

Using Science Imaging Instruments as Sensors of the Jovian High-Energy Electron Environment

Speaker: Ashley Carter (PhD Candidate at MIT)

Dedicated instruments to monitor the high-energy radiation environment are not always included on spacecraft due to resource limitations; however, high-energy electrons in Jupiter’s magnetosphere affect the operation, performance, and lifetime of spacecraft and their instruments. We develop a technique to quantitatively characterize the high-energy electron environment using the Galileo spacecraft science imagers (Solid-State Imager and Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) and particle transport simulations in Geant4. We compare our results to Galileo’s Energetic Particle Detector and to current Jovian radiation models.

Ashley Carlton received her Bachelor of Science degrees in Physics and Mathematics from Wake Forest University in 2011, her Master of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from MIT in 2016, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at MIT in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. Carlton’s undergraduate research studied the morphology and evolution of supernova remnants and the timing of pulsars. In between undergraduate and graduate school, Carlton worked as a Science Operations Team Mission Planner for the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Carlton’s scientific interests include the high-energy physics, natural space environments, and modeling effects on spacecraft.

Meeting Location: MIT Lincoln Laboratory, 3 Forbes Rd, Lexington, MA 02421