50 Tiny Satellites To Be Launched For Studying The Earth's Outermost Layer

We know very picayune about the Earth'south outermost layer, the thermosphere and scientists are now working to change this. An international team is presently going to launch l mini-satellites, called 'CubeSats' into the earth's thermosphere to bear out further study on this layer. The thermosphere is situated between 200 and 380 km higher up the globe'southward surface and is a very important layer. Why is it important? It protects usa from harmful conditions of space.

Who is responsible for these satellites?

The International Space Station (ISS) volition be used for launching these satellites instead of the usual process of sending the satellites from Earth. The basic function of these satellites will be to monitor the atmospheric condition in the thermosphere and to report how this layer functions.

Andrew Dempster, a team fellow member from the University of South Wales said, "This region is poorly understood and hard to measure. And yet, it'southward the interface between our planet and space. It's where much of the ultraviolet and X-ray radiation from the Sun collides with Earth, and generates auroras and potential hazards that can affect power grids and communications."

These satellites are part of an international project by the proper name of QB-fifty. This projection brings in researchers from 28 countries including US, Commonwealth of australia and Nippon. The cubic satellites under discussion measure approximately x cm on each side and weigh only 1 kg each. This entire project is a very important matter for Australia equally information technology is 1 of those OECD countries without its own infinite bureau.

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What makes these satellites and then special?

The three Australian satellites in this particular project are called, UNSW-Ec0, INSPIRE-2w, and SUSat. The starting time satellite, UNSW-Ec0 will be responsible for studying the diminutive composition of the thermosphere and the second satellite; the INSPIRE-2w volition measure the electron temperature and density of plasma of the layer. The INSPIRE-2w is a joint projection between the Academy of Sydney, UNSW and the Australian National University. SUSat is being built by University of Adelaide.

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Elias Aboutanios, project leader of UNSW-Ec0 said, "This is the most extensive exploration of the lower thermosphere e'er, collecting measurements in the kind of detail never before tried. The satellites will operate for iii to nine months – and may last up to a year – orbiting this lilliputian-studied region of space, before their orbits decay and they re-enter the atmosphere and burn upwards."

The CubeSats are a lot cheaper to launch as compared to the conventional satellites and they will be able to provide a lot of information. The scientists volition exist able to go more than data for less coin. Very economic isn't it? Naomi Mathers, from the Advanced Instrumentation Technology Centre in Canberra, told The Sydney Forenoon Herald last month, "If you put one very expensive big satellite up, you'll go one data prepare and that will be it and it'll cost you an awful lot of money, simply if you take l satellites, you get fifty data sets and information technology hasn't price you as much money".

They may exist cheaper to launch but they certainly aren't cheap to produce. Each satellite is toll approximately $750,000 to produce. The launch date will be onetime in December and these satellites will be sent to the ISS via Orbital ATK Antares rocket from Wallops Island in Virginia. It is estimated that it will accept around a month for these satellites to get positioned from ISS and drift down to the thermosphere. There is no denying the fact that these little satellites are a very exciting thing and we look forward to the data they will no doubt provide us soon enough.

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