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Joseph Minow

Publications and source records attributed to Joseph Minow.

At least 19 records

Commercial Crew Program (CCP) Post-flight Reference Radiation Environments

The Nowcast of Aerospace Ionizing RAdiation System (NAIRAS) model version 3 is a coupled physics-based model that transports ionizing radiation through the heliosphere, Earth’s magnetosphere, the neutral atmosphere, and aircraft and spacecraft shielding. Ionizing radiation sources included in the model are: 1) galactic cosmic rays, 2) solar energetic particles including protons and heavy ions, and 3) the inner radiation belt trapped protons and electrons. NAIRAS predicts dosimetric quantities and differential and integral flux and fluence quantities for assessing human radiation exposure and single event effects in vehicle electronic systems from the Earth’s surface to the space environment.

Christopher J Mertens

NAIRAS Ionizing Radiation Model: Extension from Atmosphere to Space

The Nowcast of Aerospace Ionizing RAdiation System (NAIRAS) model is a real-time, global, physics-based model originally developed to predict exposure from cosmic radiation to air travelers from both galactic and solar sources. A prototype operational NAIRAS model has provided tabular and graphical data products via its public web site for about ten years. A new version of the NAIRAS model has been developed that incorporates an extension of the model domain from the atmospheric ionizing radiation environment to the space radiation environment, with the addition of the trapped inner belt proton source and altitude-dependent and rigidity-dependent geomagnetic shielding of the galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and solar energetic particle (SEP) protons. New output products of differential and integral particle flux have been developed for the characterization of single-event effects (SEE), expanding the application of NAIRAS from human radiation exposure assessment to allowing end-users to quantify radiation environment risks to aviation and spacecraft microelectronic systems. The NAIRAS model has transitioned to prototype operations at the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) where the model now operates in two modes: (1) real-time global predictions of the atmospheric radiation environment and (2) a run-on-request (RoR) service allowing the user to select a specific time period for the global dosimetric calculations, or to upload an aircraft, balloon, or spaceflight trajectory file to provide predictions of the dosimetric and particle flux quantities along the flight path. The new features of NAIRAS version 3.0 are described in this paper and example results of the new output products for low-Earth orbit (LEO), medium-Earth orbit (MEO), and free-space radiation environments are presented

Christopher J. Mertens

Recommending Low-Cost Compact Space Environment and Space Weather Effects Sensor Suites for NASA Missions

As miniaturized spacecraft (e.g., cubesats and smallsats) and instrumentation become an increasingly indispensable part of space exploration and scientific investigations, it is important to understand their potential susceptibility to space weather impacts resulting from the sometimes volatile space environment. There are a multitude of complexities involved in how space environment interacts with different space hardware/electronics. Measurements of such impacts, however, have been lacking. Therefore, we recommend developing and/or procuring low-cost, low-power consumption, and compact sensor suites (mainly for space weather and impact purposes) and flying them on all future NASA (and, more generally, U.S) missions in order to measure and quantify space weather impacts, in addition to the main instrumentation.

Yihua Zheng

Review of the MeMoSeE Lunar Meteoroid Ejecta Model

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) Lunar Meteoroid Ejecta Model Review assessment team was tasked with reviewing the proposed lunar ejecta model Meteoroid Model of Secondary Ejecta (MeMoSeE), developed at Marshall Space Flight Center, and to review the model inputs to the SLS-SPEC-159 Cross-Program Design Specification for Natural Environments document to be used by NASA’s Exploration Systems Development and Artemis Programs for future lunar surface system design. This report contains the outcome of the NESC assessment.

Meteoroid Model of Secondary Ejecta

TPSAS-NF1676L-29916-DND

The CCMC is a multi-agency partnership to enable, support and perform the research and development for next-generation space science and space weather models. NASA’s CCMC resources support a variety of activities in the US and international space science and engineering communities including - Access to sophisticated space science models - Access to space weather data and models - Applied science support, engineering tools, and program support

Joseph Minow

Model Validation and its Crucial Roles in Connecting Space Weather Research, Operations, and End-User Needs

Model validation is indispensable to transitioning a model from research to operations. In this presentation, we focus on the performance of models for specific operational purposes/user needs, which include careful selection of the corresponding specific Essential Space Environment Quantity (ESEQ) and a proper set of metrics. Initial results of our community-wide validation efforts under the COSPAR ISWAT Initiative with relevance to surface charging and internal charging will be shown. We will highlight processes involved in performing such tasks, such as setting up unified guidelines, data preparation, assessment using different metrics, etc. We will also present setbacks and challenges associated with such efforts so further progress can be made.

Yihua Zheng

NAIRAS Model transition to the CCMC: real-time dosimetric output and low-Earth orbit applications

NASA’s Nowcast of Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation for Aviation Safety (NAIRAS) model is areal-time, global, physics-based model originally developed to predict exposure to cosmic radiation to air travelers from both galactic and solar sources. A prototype operational NAIRAS model has provided tabular and graphical data products via its public web site for a number of years. We present the advances in the transition of NAIRAS to operations at the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC), located at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where global NAIRAS products are available for a real-time space weather version of the model. In addition, a runs-on-request version provides model output along user selected flight trajectories. We show the global dosimetric output from the model that are available in real-time as well as the new products developed to support commercial spaceflight missions to low-Earth orbit(LEO) and the International Space Station (ISS).

Guillaume Gronof

NAIRAS Model Updates and Improvements to the Prediction of the Ionizing Radiation Environment from the Earth's Surface to Geospace

- NAIRAS Model Description - Nowcast of Aerospace Ionizing RAdiation System (NAIRAS) Model - Running in real-time on LaRC computer cluster since 2011, results hosted on Space Environment Technologies server/website - Running in real-time at CCMC since 2020 - Key Model Features - Global ionizing radiation environment model - Physics-based HZETRN (High Charge (Z) and Energy TRaNsport) code - Real-time inclusion of solar energetic particle (SEP) radiation - Real-time solar-magnetospheric effects on radiation (cutoff model by Kress et al. [2004, 2010]) - New/Current Model Development - Improved SEP dose nowcast and forecast - Extend to low-Earth orbit (LEO) environment - Single-Event Effects (SEE) radiation risk assessment quantities - Run-on-Request (RoR) @ CCMC

Christopher J. Mertens