The payload of the UFFO (Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory)-pathfinder now onboard the
Lomonosov
spacecraft (hereafter UFFO/
Lomonosov
) is a dedicated instrument for the observation of GRBs. Its primary ...aim is to capture the rise phase of the optical light curve, one of the least known aspects of GRBs. Fast response measurements of the optical emission of GRB will be made by a Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT), a key instrument of the payload, which will open a new frontier in transient studies by probing the early optical rise of GRBs with a response time in seconds for the first time. The SMT employs a rapidly slewing mirror to redirect the optical axis of the telescope to a GRB position prior determined by the UFFO Burst Alert Telescope (UBAT), the other onboard instrument, for the observation and imaging of X-rays. UFFO/Lomonosov was launched successfully from Vostochny, Russia on April 28, 2016, and will begin GRB observations after completion of functional checks of the Lomonosov spacecraft. The concept of early GRB photon measurements with UFFO was reported in 2012. In this article, we will report in detail the first mission, UFFO/Lomonosov, for the rapid response to GRB observations.
The results of a scientific and educational experiment on the SiriusSat-1 and SiriusSat-2 spacecraft carried out in Russia in the format Cubesat 1U+ are presented. The launch of two Sirius Sat-1,2 ...spacecraft was carried out on August 15, 2018 by astronauts from the ISS. The payload of the SiriusSat satellites is a detector based on several optically connected scintillators; it registers charged particles and
-quanta in the energy release range of 0.3–3 MeV. The measurement mode provides both second-by-second monitoring and a detailed mode fixing the energy of each particle or quantum, as well as the corresponding time instant with a microsecond accuracy. Each satellite transmits
kB of scientific data daily, which are available on the space weather server of the Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Moscow State University. During the flight, the variations in the precipitating and quasi-trapped electron fluxes of the outer Earth radiation belt and at the border of the South Atlantic Anomaly, and the dynamics of the particle fluxes and gamma rays depending on geomagnetic conditions have been studied. Additional possibilities are provided by the analysis of the passage of the areas of captured or precipitating particles by two closely flying satellites.
The spatial distribution and dynamics of subrelativistic electron fluxes (from tens to hundreds of keV) were studied in a space experiment onboard the Vernov satellite. A joint analysis of the ...experimental data from the Vernov and POES satellites was carried out. Maps of the global distribution of electron fluxes with energies from hundreds keV to MeV in the near-Earth space were obtained, as well as their distribution over drift shells, local time, and geomagnetic longitude. It is shown that significant electron fluxes of subrelativistic energies exist in drift shells with a McIlwain parameter of
L
< 1.5. The measured longitudinal distribution of electron fluxes in these drift shells indicates that the observed fluxes are “tied” to the shells, and the inhomogeneities of the longitudinal distribution are caused by the features of the configuration of the magnetic field in the satellite orbits.
The search for microorganisms in cosmic bodies of the Solar System is of great importance for understanding the problem of the origin of life. At present, it is difficult to create specialized ...laboratories searching for living microorganisms on the surface of planets or cosmic bodies that either formed in the Solar System or were captured by the Solar gravity from interstellar space. Existing experiments on search for life on landers and planet research vehicles allow this research to be conducted on the surface of planets and their satellites, but on a limited area near the landing site. This paper considers a method of remote sensing of outer space by light flashes of cosmic objects to detect bioactivity on almost all of their surfaces. The presence of bioactivity is the detected by specific luminescence of microorganisms when they are illuminated by probing radiation that causes their fluorescence.
The generation of transient and other optical phenomena in the Earth’s upper atmosphere under the action of electron fluxes and high- and low-frequency electromagnetic waves resulting from ...electromagnetic fields 1 has been studied onboard the small Vernov spacecraft (solar synchronous orbit, 98° inclination, altitude 640–830 km). On the night side at middle latitudes, the technogenic glow is shown to be observed along the preferential meridians whose distribution corresponds to the longitudes of the most powerful low-frequency radio stations 2. The geographic distribution of this glow changes abruptly at the boundary between the day and night sides of the satellite orbit; on the day side, such meridians are not identified, while their geographic distribution in longitude is uniform. The boundaries of the geographic distribution of technogenic glow regions on the day side are unstable in latitude, their northern and southern boundaries are shifted at all latitudes from the North Pole to the South Pole. At middle and low latitudes, zones with random geographic coordinates, where the technogenic glow is completely absent, are observed in the distributions of signals along the meridians. When studying the flashes caused by discharges in the atmosphere, we showed that lightning flashes and transient luminous events at nighttime are observed mainly in equatorial regions, which coincide with zones of high thunderstorm activity. At daytime, flashes of light are recorded much more rarely, have a short duration, are observed most often in the Earth’s polar regions, including the winter periods, the power of their emission exceeds considerably the power of similar (in duration) short flashes observed at night.
The Moscow University Universat-SOCRAT program is aimed at using small satellites to monitor space threats, such as radiation in near-earth space, electromagnetic transients, and potentially ...dangerous bodies of natural and artificial origins. The first stage of the program implementation began on July 5, 2019 as a result of the successful launch of three Cubesat-type nanosatellites from the Vostochny cosmodrome. These satellites are equipped with instruments for space radiation monitoring, as well as prototypes of devices for observing transient phenomena in the Earth’s atmosphere. In particular, two satellites are equipped with scintillation phosphich detectors that detect charged particles and gamma quanta in the energy release range of 0.1–2 MeV. The geometric factor of these instruments is
cm
sr. One of the Cubesats also carries an optical photometer, consisting of four silicon photomultipliers, which entrance windows are covered with different light filters. The satellites were launched into solar-synchronous orbits with an altitude of
km. This makes favorable conditions for space radiation monitoring in various areas of near-Earth space, including zones of trapped radiation, areas of precipitation, etc. Such an orbit also allows observations of flare phenomena both in the equatorial atmosphere and at high latitudes. The first results of flight tests are discussed.
The results of observations with the MASTER-SHOK robotic wide-field optical cameras onboard the Lomonosov Space Observatory carried out in 2016 are presented. In all, the automated transient ...detection system transmitted 22 181 images of moving objects with signal-to-noise ratios greater than 5 to the Earth. Approximately 84% of these images are identified with well-known artificial Earth satellites (including repeated images of the same satellite) and fragments of such satellites (space debris), according to databases of known satellites. The remaining 16% of the images are relate to uncatalogued objects. This first experience in optical space-based monitoring of near-Earth space demonstrates the high efficiency and great potential of using large-aperture cameras in space, based on the software and technology of the MASTER robotic optical complexes (the Mobile Astronomical System of TElescope- Robots (MASTER) global network of robotic telescopes of Lomonosov Moscow State University).
In Russia several space missions are now planned to study transient luminous events in the atmosphere and high‐energy charged particles at satellite altitudes. The experimental goal is to investigate ...the origin of the high‐energy electrons and gamma ray quanta for specific transient luminous events (TLEs) and their role in the ionosphere‐magnetosphere system. Simultaneous measurements of electrons at the orbit of the satellite and TLE atmospheric radiation in many wavelength bands will be performed in two missions, Tatiana‐2 and RELEC. In the TUS mission UV transient event detection will be accompanied by measurements of the weak UV emission from the “seed” electrons of extensive air showers of extremely high‐primary energies.
The variations in the spatial structure and time in electron fluxes with
E
= 235–300 keV in the slot region (2 <
L
< 3) between the radiation belts in the period of November 1, 2014 through December ...8, 2014 during weak and moderate geomagnetic disturbances (
Kp
< 4,
Dst
>–60 nT) are analyzed based on the data of the RELEC complex on board the
Vernov
satellite (the height and inclination of the orbit are from 640 to 830 km and 98.4°, respectively). Irregular increases in the fluxes of such electrons and formation of a local maximum at
L
~ 2.2–3.0 were observed. It has been shown that the intensity of this maximum is inversely proportional to the
L
value and grows with an increase in the geomagnetic activity level. New features discovered for the first time in the dynamics of radiation belt electrons manifest in the variations in the local structure and dynamics of fluxes of subrelativistic electrons in the slot region.
The structure and dynamics of electron fluxes of subrelativistic energies in the range 235–300 keV at
L
< 4 during December 3–8, 2014, are analyzed according to the RELEC instrument onboard the ...Vernov satellite. Sharp changes in the parameters of the solar wind and the IMF were detected on December 6, but they did not lead to a magnetic storm. However, after the event of December 6, subrelativistic electron fluxes in the inner belt and the slot region were enhanced and structured. The dynamics of electron fluxes in the local transient bursts at
L
~ 1.5–1.7 is considered in detail. It is shown that these bursts are associated with the development of the cyclotron instability in the tops of magnetic flux tubes near the inner belt maximum. The electron anisotropic index is estimated in these bursts. It is shown that in the beginning these bursts are anisotropic and that they become isotropic as the decay proceeds. The most likely chain of physical mechanisms that could lead to variations in electron fluxes of the inner belt described in this paper is presented. For the first time, the topological effects in stationary distributions of the electrons of the inner belt observed at low altitudes in the South Atlantic Anomaly region are explained.
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