{"id":127613,"date":"2020-09-27T08:00:38","date_gmt":"2020-09-27T18:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=127613"},"modified":"2020-09-29T09:42:42","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T19:42:42","slug":"uh-satellite-collect-neutrons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/09\/27\/uh-satellite-collect-neutrons\/","title":{"rendered":"<abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> satellite to collect neutrons in space"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_44954\"  width=\"676\" height=\"676\"  data-origwidth=\"676\" data-origheight=\"676\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vkA0F5AoBqs?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"Â鶹´«Ã½satellite to collect neutrons in space\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>Neutron-1, a small satellite involving more than 100 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/\">University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span><\/a> students, faculty, staff and volunteers, will be launched on October 1 on the ELaNa 31, NG-14 International Space Station (<abbr>ISS<\/abbr>) resupply mission from <abbr title=\"National Aeronautics and Space Administration\">NASA<\/abbr>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers\/wallops\/missions\/index.html\">Wallops Flight Facility<\/a> in Virginia. During the mission, Neutron-1 will measure neutrons in space and radiation coming from the Sun.<\/p>\n<p>The science mission was proposed in 2011 by <strong>Peter Englert<\/strong>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.higp.hawaii.edu\/\"><span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Institute of Geophysics and Planetology<\/a> (<abbr>HIGP<\/abbr>) researcher and principal investigator for the Neutron-1 Mission, and <strong>Lloyd French<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsfl.hawaii.edu\/\"><span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Space Flight Laboratory<\/a> (<abbr>HSFL<\/abbr>) researcher and project manager for the Neutron-1 Mission, to study neutrons in orbit. It was accepted in 2012 by <abbr>NASA<\/abbr>&#8216;s CubeSat Launch Initiative.<\/p>\n<p>Through the 2015 RockSat-X mission, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kauai.hawaii.edu\/\"><span aria-label=\"Kauai\">Kaua&#699;i<\/span> Community College<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/windward.hawaii.edu\/\">Windward Community College<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.honolulu.hawaii.edu\/\">Honolulu Community College<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kapiolani.hawaii.edu\/\"><span aria-label=\"Kapiolani\">Kapi&#699;olani<\/span> Community College<\/a> were also involved with the development of this mission. The Project IMUA community college collaboration led to the development of a functioning neutron detector, however it was lost during a suborbital test launch from Wallops Flight Facility. This set back the project until Arizona State University (<abbr>ASU<\/abbr>) became a collaborator on this mission by providing the neutron detector in 2018.<\/p>\n<div style=\"float:right;clear:right;margin:0 0 0 15px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-higp-neutron-1-launch-2-1-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"group photo\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-127760\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-higp-neutron-1-launch-2-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-higp-neutron-1-launch-2-1-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-higp-neutron-1-launch-2-1.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"float:right;clear:right;margin:0 0 0 15px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-high-launch-neutron-1-1-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"group photo\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-127761\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-high-launch-neutron-1-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-high-launch-neutron-1-1-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-high-launch-neutron-1-1.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;Neutron-1 is a 3U CubeSat [small satellite],&rdquo; said <strong>Amber Imai-Hong<\/strong>, an avionics engineer at <abbr>HSFL<\/abbr> and ground station coordinator for the Neutron-1 mission. &ldquo;It&#8217;s approximately the size of a loaf of bread and the data gathered by the satellite will be used to understand the relationship between the Earth and the Sun by mapping neutrons in the low-earth orbit.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Designed by <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa\u2019s <abbr>HSFL<\/abbr> team, Neutron-1 went through a vigorous proto-flight environmental testing process. Undergraduate students from departments such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and more gained first-hand experience in aerospace research with the design and testing of a spacecraft.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Neutron-1 will demonstrate that the <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Space Flight Lab has the ability to design, test and launch and operate small satellites,&rdquo; said Imai-Hong. &ldquo;We&#8217;re hoping that Neutron-1 is able to operate in space and that we can prove to the aerospace community that <abbr>UH<\/abbr> is a great place to do aerospace research.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Neutron-1 is launching on a rideshare mission, which includes other satellites, and will be in space for approximately one year. <abbr>UH<\/abbr> delivered the small satellite to NanoRacks, <abbr title=\"limited liability company\">LLC<\/abbr> in Houston, Texas on August 20.<\/p>\n<h2>Operating in space<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-higp-neutron-launch-vertical.jpg\" alt=\"researcher working on Neutron-1\" width=\"250\" height=\"350\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-127747\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-higp-neutron-launch-vertical.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-higp-neutron-launch-vertical-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-higp-neutron-launch-vertical-93x130.jpg 93w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When astronauts set up the deployer pod for launch out of the <abbr>ISS<\/abbr> around mid-November, <abbr>HSFL<\/abbr> will continue to be the primary driver for the Neutron-1 mission.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We expect it to be ejected from the <abbr>ISS<\/abbr> in mid-November, from that day on it will take no more than a few hours for the satellite to pass over <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and that&#8217;s when we should expect the first contact with the satellite,&rdquo; said <strong>Miguel Nunes<\/strong>, an assistant faculty at <abbr>HIGP<\/abbr>, deputy director of <abbr>HSFL<\/abbr>, systems engineer and assistant project manager for the Neutron-1 mission.<\/p>\n<p><abbr>HSFL<\/abbr> will control Neutron-1 via the GlobalStar network, and partner with amateur radio operators to communicate with the satellite through <abbr>HSFL<\/abbr>\u2019s <span aria-label=\"Kauai\">Kaua&#699;i<\/span> <abbr title=\"community college\">CC<\/abbr> ground station. Researchers are currently upgrading and fixing the ground station to prepare for when the satellite passes over <span aria-label=\"Hawaii.\">Â鶹´«Ã½.<\/span> This will allow amateur operators from the community to send and receive data from the satellite while it is in space for the next year.<\/p>\n<h2>Helping prepare for future missions to the Moon<\/h2>\n<p>For the electronics inside Neutron-1, <abbr>UH<\/abbr> collaborated with <abbr>ASU<\/abbr> on the payload. Neutron-1 will provide prolonged exposure to the space environment for technology evaluation and serve as a test platform for <abbr>ASU<\/abbr>&#8216;s payload.<\/p>\n<p><abbr>ASU<\/abbr>&#8216;s payload instrument is scheduled to fly on the <a href=\"https:\/\/lunahmap.asu.edu\/\">LunaH-Map<\/a> Mission to the Moon. The LunaH-Map mission is a miniaturized, fully functional interplanetary spacecraft the size of a shoebox, that will map hydrogen enrichments within permanently shadowed regions of the Moon\u2019s south pole. This will be the first CubeSat mission to the Moon.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Neutron-1 will be collecting neutrons in space and this [technology] will allow us to understand if there&#8217;s water in the moon in the future,&rdquo; said Nunes. &ldquo;So that&#8217;s one of the most interesting aspects of this mission.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Neutron-1 mission was primarily supported and funded by the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu\/\"><span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Space Grant Consortium<\/a>. Other organizations contributed via funded research projects with <abbr>HSFL<\/abbr>. See <abbr>HSFL<\/abbr>\u2019s website <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsfl.hawaii.edu\/missions\/neutron-1\/\">for more information on the mission and names of students and staff involved in the project<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The launch is scheduled for Thursday, October 1, 3:38 p.m. <abbr title=\"Hawaii Standard Time\">HST<\/abbr> and will be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/multimedia\/nasatv\/#public\">live on <abbr>NASA<\/abbr> <abbr title=\"television\">TV<\/abbr><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-higp-neutron-1-patch.jpg\" alt=\"Neutron-1 logo\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-127748\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-higp-neutron-1-patch.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-higp-neutron-1-patch-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/manoa-higp-neutron-1-patch-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Neutron-1, a spacecraft involving more than 100 <abbr>UH<\/abbr> students, faculty, staff and volunteers, will be launched on October 1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,12],"tags":[170,406,871,62,63,64,1363,174,71,9,56,66],"class_list":["post-127613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","category-video","tag-hawaii-institute-of-geophysics-and-planetology","tag-hawaii-space-flight-laboratory","tag-hawaii-space-grant-consortium","tag-honolulu-community-college","tag-kapiolani-community-college","tag-kauai-community-college","tag-manoa-research","tag-space","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-uh-manoa","tag-video-2","tag-windward-community-college","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127613"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127613\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":127932,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127613\/revisions\/127932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}