RAPID: A Relativistic Electron and Proton Telescope to Probe the Inner Heliosphere

Interplanetary space is permeated by energetic particles from galactic cosmic rays and from the Sun. This Rapid Response Research (RAPID) project will make unique measurements of energetic particles in interplanetary space. These measurements will provide information on their global distribution, as well as their effects on space weather. This project includes training and educating a graduate student and two undergraduate students as the next generation of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce. The students will gain hands-on experience in building, testing, and calibrating a space flight instrument with the mentorships of engineers and a faculty member. This project will support refurbishment of an engineering model, originally developed as part of the successful NSF Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment (CSSWE) CubeSat mission. Integrated into a spacecraft, the new instrument will provide detailed measurements of energetic particles from 3-100 MeV protons and 0.2-5 MeV electrons in 129 channels. This research will examine the temporal and spatial evolution of solar energetic particle (SEP) energy spectra throughout the heliosphere and assess their relative contributions, alongside galactic and anomalous cosmic rays (GCRs and ACRs, up to 100 MeV), to the near-Earth space environment, including the lunar surface. It will further evaluate how the energy spectra of these particle populations drive space-weather effects on spacecraft operating in interplanetary space or Earth orbit under direct particle exposure. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.