MSFC’s Charge Analyzer Responsive to Local Oscillations (CARLO) has been selected by an internal working group as the primary science instrument for a polar low-altitude terrestrial space weather mission concept. On 1/26/24, Linda Habash Krause (ST13) attended the first of a new series of weekly meetings of the international Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) AI Microsat sPACe weaTher (IMPACT) Working Group. The IMPACT team is an international coalition of AI/ML and space mission and science professionals whose goals are focused on using AI with CubeSat-based instruments to study space weather. The IMPACT scientists have particular interests in fundamental space weather science (e.g. coupling of energy between the solar wind and Geospace) as well as applied space weather effects on both artificial systems and biologics. The IMPACT team is in the process of laying out a roadmap for the development of several missions with increasing complexity to support the scientific and technical objectives of interest to community stakeholders. During this meeting, the discussion centered around the potential benefits of an ultra-precise attitude determination and control system (ADCS) to achieve unique science objectives. This can be accomplished with a design modification of the CARLO to serve as an ion drift meter (IDM). By combining CARLO-IDM data with ultra-precise ADCS data, and having the satellite complete high-fidelity slew maneuvers, it is possible to make a unique measurement of ion drifts and oscillations in the variable ionospheric plasmas at unprecedented detail. During the mission formulation phase, the team will consider both CARLO and CARLO-IDM in the trade space. The IMPACT Working Group is comprised of the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center, NASA/JSC, and scientists from a number of countries, including Great Britain, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, Finland, and Italy.
