Solar Mass Ejection Imager
This is a US Air Force commissioned project contracted out to the University of Birmingham. SMEI is a short time scale evaluation mission to observe the sun, and my involvement was to design and implement both the onboard and the ground support software for the instrument.
The SMEI instrument was delivered on time and integrated to the spacecraft in late April 2001.
This mission was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, on January 6th, 2003, at 14:19am GMT. The satellite completed initial checkout on February 6th, 2003, and is currently running normal operations. A first light all-sky map was produced from the very early data.
More information is on my SMEI pages.
SMART-2
This is a European Space Agency project to examine gravity waves. The University of Birmingham has a sub-contract with Carlo Gavazzi Space to produce the control software for two sub-systems of the satellite.
The caging and release mechanism hardware is being designed by Rutherford Appleton Labs, with the flight control software being my responsibility.
In a similar fashion, the charge manangement system hardware is being designed by Imperial College, London. The application and interface software is again my responsibility.
More information is on my SMART-2 pages.
SECCHI
SECCHI is the 'Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation' - a suite of instruments consisting of two white-light coronagraphs, an ultra-violet imager, and the heliospheric imager.
It is being led by the Naval Research Laboratory Solar Physics branch, and the ASRG here has involvment with two of the instruments.
My role was to write an interface module for the ground test software setup to connect the camera electronics to the telemetry and commanding system.
More information is on my SECCHI pages.
Spectrum-X Gamma
This multi-instrument platform was designed to examine the x-ray spectrum. The University of Birmingham is involved with the JET-X Instrument, for which I was responsible for the onboard software control system.
Sadly, this instrument programme produced a qualified flight-model instrument, but because of funding issues at the Russian Space Agency, it is unlikely to ever be launched.
JET-X is currently in storage in a cleanroom facility in Leicester.
Maintained by Mark CookeLast Updated: 12-Jan-2023