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Space Environment Database and Analysis Tools


The Space Environment Database and Analysis Tools (SEDAT) project is intended to develop a new approach to the engineering analysis of spacecraft charged-particle environments, part of what is also known as "space weather". Energetic charged particles and plasma environments can cause a number of problems for spacecraft. Particles can come from the sun (solar energetic particle events), can be encountered in the radiation belts, or can be injected into the near-Earth regions during geomagnetic sub-storms..

This project will assemble a database containing a large and comprehensive set of data about that environment as measured in-situ by a number of space missions. Thus the user will be able to select a set of space environment data appropriate to the engineering problem under study.

The project will also develop a set of software tools, which can operate on the data retrieved from the SEDAT database. These tools will allow the user to carry out a wide range of engineering analyses. This approach differs from traditional space environment engineering studies. In the latter the space environment is characterised by a model that is a synthesis of previous observations. However, in SEDAT the environment is characterised directly by the observations. This approach offers several advantages to the engineering analyst, which are discussed in detail below (link TBD).

This work is being by carried out by the Space Science Department of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) on behalf of ESA's Space Environments and Effects Analysis section. It is funded under ESTEC contract 12854/98/NL/NB, as part of the Space Environments and Effects Major Axis of the Technology Research Programme (TRP).

These pages provide a range of information on the SEDAT Project as follows:

The SEDAT project started in May 1998. The links above will be gradually populated over the summer and autumn of 1998 as part of the initial project activities. We plan to maintain and develop the lower level pages throughout the duration of the project as a key part of the project documentation. Comments on any of the project pages are always welcome. Please send them to the project manager, Mike Hapgood (Email: M.Hapgood@rl.ac.uk).

STFC[STFC]    Space Science and Technology Department[SSTD]
$Date: 2008/03/25 16:16:35 $ Mike Hapgood