Attch. 1- Statement of Objectives.pdf

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES

Space Chemistry, Reactivity, and Modeling (SCRAM)

20 February 2020

Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV) is seeking white papers for the study of the chemistry and physics associated with the space environment. The goal is to understand thruster plumes and other releases from satellites, sounding rockets and other vehicles, and how these interact with the space environment and spacecraft. This effort generates concepts to detect, identify, characterize, and track space objects and the sensing characterization, and phenomenology in the space environment.

Additional aims include improving understanding of chemistry, either ambient or induced, affecting electron content of the ionosphere and ionospheric phenomena. This also supports Small Satellite technologies and Multi-scale, multi-physics (MSE&A).

To support this effort, white papers shall address all of the following research directions through experiments, theory, literature research, and modeling as appropriate to address the questions and transition the results to further AFRL/RV programs.

White Papers shall:

a) Examine fundamental and applied physics/chemistry; conceive, develop, and perform experiments;

and collect and analyze data from chemical processes associated with satellite thruster plumes, releases from satellites, spacecraft emission interactions with the space environment and materials interaction with the space environment.

b) Model, test and characterize the interaction of particles with the host satellite, other nearby (formation) satellites and the ambient space environment.

c) Develop and validate methods, models and concepts to detect, identify, and characterize plumes and chemical releases in space and their impacts on the local space environment and associated space vehicles.

d) Undertake experimental and theoretical investigations to characterize the impact, identify the unknowns, and minimize risk to the spacecraft of the space environment and possible modifications to the space environment.

e) Determine through laboratory measurement and/or calculation the kinetics of chemical processes occurring in the space environment or in the lower ionosphere relevant to either chemical releases or exhaust from satellites or other spacecraft or to naturally occurring phenomena.