Our previous work on the JEM-euso mission is discussed in the included progress reports. As noted in the last report, the JEM-euso collaboration recently completed a very successful stratospheric…

This federal contract award, NNX16AG27G, is a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the Research Foundation of the City University of New York (RFCUNY), specifically the RFCUNY - Lehman College. The award, valued at $168,291.93, supports the continued development and testing of instrumentation for the Extreme Universe Space Observatory on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM-EUSO) mission. This includes analyzing data from a recent successful stratospheric balloon flight, which tested the JEM-EUSO instruments in a realistic environment, as well as preparing for a future long-duration balloon flight that may provide the first opportunity to observe ultra-high energy cosmic rays from above. The award also funds work to make the O-LINE software framework suitable for other test missions, including a mockup at the Telescope Array facility in Utah and a Mini-EUSO instrument for the International Space Station. This grant does not have a set-aside designation.

Our previous work on the JEM-euso mission is discussed in the included progress reports. As noted in the last report, the JEM-euso collaboration recently completed a very successful stratospheric balloon flight as a first test of the instrumentation in a realistic environment. We are already involved in analysing the data from this flight and will continue to do so throughout the coming funding period. These analyses are being conducted within the o-line software framework, the development of which is lead by t. Paul. The data from the balloon flight include not only background light from cities, but flasher and laser shots from a chase helicopter. We have so far identified several hundred such events in the data sample. Our goal is to both simulate and reconstruct these events, including reconstruction of the energies of the flasher and laser shots. The task is in fact rather complex, as the balloon payload sways and rotates during flight, so data from on-board instruments will have be analyzed to account for this. A long-duration balloon flight is our next goal, and may happen by 2016. This long flight may well provide the first opportunity to observe ultra-high energy cosmic rays from above. The flight will also include the full triggering system. As such, this will constitute a close-to final mock-up of the full JEM-euso instrument. Our collaborators at the colorado school of mines together with assistance from anchordoqui's former PH.d. Student are currently computing the expected rate of such events using the o-line software. We will also complete the work required to render o-line suitable for other test missions, including a mockup CO-located with the telescope array facility in utah as well as a mini-euso instrument to y in the pressurized section of the international space station. Additionally the software will be cofigurable for the nominal full JEM-euso design, which will include 137 of the optical modules tested on the recent stratospheric balloon flight.