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Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Mission Integration and TestingThis paper describes the plans, flows, key facilities, components and equipment necessary to fully integrate, functionally test and qualify the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) Observatory. PACE is currently in the design phase of mission implementation. It is scheduled to launch in 2022, extending and improving NASA's twenty-year record of satellite observations of global ocean biology, aerosols and clouds. PACE will advance the assessment of ocean health by measuring the distribution of phytoplankton, which are small plants and algae that sustain the marine food web. It will also continue systematic records of key atmospheric variables associated with air quality and the Earth's climate. The PACE observatory is comprised of the spacecraft and three instruments, an Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) and two polarimeters, the Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter 2 (HARP2) and the Spectro-Polarimeter for Exploration (SPEXone). The spacecraft and the OCI, which is the primary instrument, are developed and integrated at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The OCI is a hyper-spectral scanning (HSS) radiometer designed to measure spectral radiances from the ultraviolet to shortwave infrared (SWIR) to enable advanced ocean color and heritage cloud and aerosol particle science. The HARP2 and SPEXone are secondary instruments on the PACE observatory, acquired outside of GSFC. The Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter instrument (HARP2) is a wide swath imaging polarimeter that is capable of characterizing atmospheric aerosols for purposes of sensor atmospheric correction as well as atmospheric science. The SPEXone provides atmospheric aerosol and cloud data at high temporal and spatial resolution. This paper will focus on the Integration and Test (I&T) activities for the PACE mission at NASA GSFC. This I&T phase consists of mechanical, electrical and thermal integration and test of all the spacecraft subsystems and the integration of the instruments with the spacecraft. The PACE observatory environmental tests include electromagnetic interference (EMI)/electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), vibration, acoustics, shock, thermal balance, thermal vacuum, mass properties and center of gravity. This paper will also discuss the observatory shipment to the launch site as well as the launch site processing.



Document ID
20190032036
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Petro, Susanna (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Pham, Karen (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Hilton, George (Newton Engineering & Product Development Hyattsville, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
October 11, 2019
Publication Date
March 7, 2020
Subject Category
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Earth Resources And Remote Sensing
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN73647
Meeting Information
Meeting: IEEE Aerospace Conference
Location: Big Sky, MT
Country: United States
Start Date: March 7, 2020
End Date: March 14, 2020
Sponsors: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNG14CR62C
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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