Previous space-based assets have combined visible, near-infrared, shortwave-infrared, midwave-infrared, and longwave-infrared imagers into one “exquisite” instrument. Despite the quality of the data coming from these exquisite instruments, they have severe limitations regarding mass production, cost, and calibration complexities. Mass-produced, flexible small co-registered electro-optical/infrared space-based telescopes eliminate many of these limitations inherent in exquisite assets. For instance, our small electro-optical/infrared telescopes are considerably lower in size, weight, power, and cost; have many of their critical components commercially available; utilize heritage space-flight detector electronics and software; can be rapidly mass produced; considers the need for minimizing assembly, integration, and test in order to expedite delivery times; inherently includes an accelerated responsiveness (e.g. detectors, filters, and/or even telescopes can be readily changed to accommodate changes in mission objectives or advances in technology) of about an update every two-years. This approach becomes a disruptive game changer, particularly when implemented across a large number of SmallSats and using cross communications that provide each SmallSat with distribute high performance computing. This paper presents the Pleiades concept, preliminary performance estimates, discusses co-registration and suggests a path towards industrialization of this novel concept for multi-spectral, space-based imagery.

The CubeSat Mission for studying Solar Particles is a NASA Science Mission Directorate and Heliophysics Division funded 6U Interplanetary CubeSat Science Mission. CuSP is scheduled to launch in mid-2020 as a secondary payload on the SLS EM -1 (Exploratory Mission One) flight. CuSP is a pathfinder mission for Space Weather Research as it will be the first heliophysics science mission to be placed in heliocentric orbit outside the influence of the Earth's magnetosphere. CuSP features three complementary, miniaturized sensors to address two science objectives: study the sources and acceleration mechanisms of solar and IP particles in near-Earth orbit, and support space weather research by determining proton radiation levels during SEP events and identifying properties of ST ions that could help predict the arrival of strong CME-driven IP shock waves that produce geomagnetic storms.

For the last few decades, micro-channel plates (MCPs), charged coupled devices (CCDs), and hybrid complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) detectors have been the workhorses for collecting photons. More recently, the development of superconducting detectors such as the superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) and transition edge sensors (TESs) has generated excitement in the imaging community. These detectors provide for simultaneous timing and spectral information as well as relatively good spectral energy resolution. However, STJs and TESs suffer from the major challenge of constructing large format arrays which are required for most imaging applications. Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) are a relatively new alternative superconducting technology that has many of the same desirable characteristics of STJs and TESs, and offer great promise for creating large-scale formats like current CCDs and CMOS detectors. The current approach for photon detection with KIDs uses a multiple frequency component activation signal. While this method has been proven to enable detection of photons, it has three key drawbacks that limit its utility in remote, size and power constrained applications. The first drawback is that each element of a KID array must be individually characterized under precisely controlled conditions. A second, even greater challenge is that the response of each KID element changes with temperature, necessitating in-system recalibration. Finally, current KIDs require 4-stage cryo-coolers in order to operate at mK temperatures, which are more challenging for space applications. New stimulation and detection approaches for arrays of high-temperature (~4K) KID sensors are being investigated to simplify the electronics required for the source signal and reduce the impact of even small changes in temperature. Simplification of sensor electronics will enable large and robust arrays of high-temperature KID sensors, opening new photon sensing opportunities in size, mass, and power-constrained applications. This paper describes the current state of SwRI's Internal Research and Development effort to develop a KID detector and associated support hardware.

Typical spacecraft power distribution system include some type of spacecraft power bus controller that serves as the summing point for the solar array, the battery, umbilical power and general spacecraft loads. A bus controller for a 3.2 KW spacecraft routes currents in excess of 135 A leading most manufacturers to use manual, expensive, point to point wiring to accomplish this task. By its very nature, such a connector pin and labor intensive operation has questionable reliability issues. A planar solution would be simple and ideal but is actually quite difficult since existing standards for a printed circuit board's current carrying capability stop at 35 A. SwRI has invested Internal Research funds to explore the limits of heavy copper PC boards for very high current power distribution. This paper discusses the processes and results of this internal research project. The research entailed fabricating a conceptual power board using standard printed circuit material and using the division's unique heavy plane manufacturing capability. The goals of this project were to answer key questions: can high currents (135 A) can be reliably routed within the planes of the printed circuit board in a space application and can division assets achieve adequate solder flow for the through-hole components in a thermally challenging printed circuit board. As part of this investigation, SwRI also implemented a current shunt as part of the planar assembly. Such an embedded current shunt reduces the number of manual operations and increases the overall reliability and manufacturability of the product. The concept employs methods to compensate for copper plane resistance change due to temperature. Several board designs were manufactured and instrumented with thermal sensors. Boards were selective soldered and solder flow evaluated. Various current levels up to and in excess of 135 A were then applied across the board assembly and the embedded current shunt while the self heating chara- - cteristics of the board were measured at atmospheric conditions. This paper provides the results of this study.

Discoveries from the Cassini-Huygens mission, supported by NASA and ESA, indicate that a number of large liquid hydrocarbon lakes exist in the polar regions of Titan. These findings are significant as they present the first evidence for an open stable body of liquid anywhere other than earth. The largest of these, Lake Kraken Mare, covers approximately 40,000 square miles. The possible existence of an inner water ocean, which could seep into the base of the lake through cryovolcanism, and the search for life and pre-biotic materials, suggest that some of the most interesting chemistry could occur at the bottom of the lake. If the lake is not well mixed by turnover or other mecha- nism, then a study of these reaction products will re- quire the acquisition of samples from the depths of the lake. The decadal survey(i) identifies a number of ques- tions specifically relating to Titan's organic rich envi- ronment. • What are the chemistry, distribution, and cy- cling of organic materials on Titan?

As the measurement techniques in the space science community rapidly evolve, the demand for multi-channeled, high-speed, radiation tolerant data acquisitioning systems gets increasingly higher. The high volume and resolution of data, and the complexity of the in-situ processing and analysis requirements, have triggered the need for faster, smaller, and easily reconfigurable designs. In response to this demand, Southwest Research Institute has developed a high-speed, multi-channel, versatile data acquisitioning architecture. This new architecture can perform reconfigurable DSP algorithms and subsequent data processing on instrument analog input signals. The overall architecture and topology was developed as part of a SwRI science instrumentation trade study and then implemented on the NASA gamma-ray large area space telescope (GLAST) data processing unit (DPU). It can easily be reconfigured for other space missions and instrument applications. This paper presents an architectural view of the design and gives examples of its tremendous versatility. It also addresses the evolution of analog DSP data acquisition systems in general and emphasizes the advantages and tradeoffs between today's approaches versus older heritage methods