Trustees of Boston University
Who it subcontracts to
DR. KUNTZ WILL MODEL THE EMISSIONS FROM THE LUNAR PLATFORM INCLUDING BACKGROUNDS AND PRODUCE DATA REDUCTION AND ANALYSIS TOOLS. IN PARTICULAR, HE WILL BE PRODUCING A TOOL TO MODEL THE COSMIC X-RAY BACKGROUND AS OBSERVED BY THIS INSTRUMENT, AND WILL CONTRIBUTE TO MODELING OTHER BACKGROUNDS AS NEEDED. HE WILL DEVELOP ALGORITHMS FOR DETECTING THE LOCATION OF THE MAGNETOPAUSE WITHIN THE X-RAY IMAGES. HE WILL ALSO ASSIST IN PROVIDING AND MODIFYING EXISTING X-RAY REDUCTION SOFTWARE FOR USE IN THE LEXI PROJECT.
THE LUNAR ENVIRONMENT HELIOPHYSICS X-RAY IMAGER (LEXI) WILL IMAGE THE INTERACTION OF THE SOLAR WIND WITH THE EARTH"™S MAGNETOSPHERE TO ADDRESS MAJOR OUTSTANDING SCIENCE QUESTIONS IN HELIOPHYSICS. THE OVERARCHING OBJECTIVES OF LEXI ARE TO ANSWER TWO CENTRAL QUESTIONS TO NASA"™S HELIOPHYSICS DIVISION AND AS WELL AS THE GREATER SPACE SCIENCE COMMUNITY: 1. UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS IS MAGNETOPAUSE RECONNECTION TEMPORALLY STEADY? 2. UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS IS MAGNETOPAUSE RECONNECTION BURSTY OR TEMPORALLY VARIABLE? DR. CONNOR WILL SUPPORT LEXI TEAM TO REACH SUCCESSFUL SCIENCE CLOSURE THROUGH THE MODELING AND DATA ANALYSIS ACTIVITIES.
Who it works for
BOSTON UNIVERSITY'S CONTRIBUTION TO THIS PROJECT WILL BE LED BY CENTER FOR SPACE PHYSICS RESEARCH SCIENTIST HONGYANG ZHOU ALONGSIDE CO-I LIANG WANG. THE TEAM WILL TEST THE ROBUSTNESS OF THE MHD-AEPIC COUPLING WITH VARYING KINETIC SPATIAL DOMAIN, AND IDENTIFY GLOBAL WAVE ACTIVITIES FROM THE UPSTREAM SOLAR WIND, FORESHOCK, AND THE MAGNETOSHEATH REGION. THEY WILL ALSO CROSSCOMPARE THIS MODEL WITH OTHER ESTABLISHED SOLVERS. BESIDES, THE TEAM WILL IMPROVE THE TEST PARTICLE DATA OUTPUTS AS WELL AS VISUALIZATION TOOLS FOR THE TEST PARTICLES, PLASMA MOMENTS AND VELOCITY DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS.
Lunar awards as prime
| Award | Description | Period | Obligated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80MSFC20C0019 | LUNAR ENVIRONMENT HELIOSPHERIC X-RAY IMAGER (LEXI) | 2020-03-19 → 2025-12-31 | $3.3M |
| 80NSSC24K0572 | GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION AND ENERGY SOURCE OF WHISTLER-MODE WAVES IN LUNAR SPACE | 2024-06-01 → 2027-05-31 | $526K |
| 2550323 | SPACECRAFT CHARGING IN THE LUNAR ENVIRONMENT -SPACECRAFT ARE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORTING COMMUNICATIONS, NAVIGATION, WEATHER FORECASTING, NATIONAL SECURITY, AND A RAPIDLY GROWING SPACE ECONOMY. WHEN OUTSIDE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE, SPACECRAFT CAN ACCUMULATE ELECTRICAL CHARGE THAT CAN DAMAGE SENSITIVE ELECTRONICS AND CAUSE SUDDEN, UNPREDICTABLE FAILURES, THUS THREATENING SPACE MISSIONS. THIS PROJECT WILL ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING OF WHEN AND WHERE DANGEROUS CHARGING CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR IN THE VICINITY OF THE MOON. RESULTS FROM THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE GUIDANCE TO SPACECRAFT OPERATORS ON TAKING PROTECTIVE ACTION AND TO ENGINEERS ON DESIGNING MORE RESILIENT SYSTEMS. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL TRAIN EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS IN SPACE PHYSICS AND DATA-DRIVEN METHODS, STRENGTHENING OUR TECHNICAL WORKFORCE. THIS WORK ADVANCES OUR NATION'S LEADERSHIP IN SPACE WEATHER AND BENEFITS SPACE EXPLORATION. THIS PROJECT WILL ANALYZE PLASMA MEASUREMENTS COLLECTED BY SPACECRAFT TO STUDY SPACECRAFT CHARGING IN LUNAR ORBIT UNDER VARYING SPACE AND SOLAR CONDITIONS. THE TEAM WILL CURATE AND PROCESS OBSERVATIONAL DATA TO IDENTIFY THE LOCATIONS AROUND THE MOON WHERE SPACECRAFT CHARGING IS MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR AND THE PHYSICAL MECHANISMS DRIVING CHARGING. THE RESULTS WILL PROVIDE QUALITATIVE UNDERSTANDINGS OF CAUSE AND EFFECT OF SPACECRAFT CHARGING AND AVERAGE QUANTITATIVE TRENDS THAT WILL BE USEFUL FOR LUNAR MISSION PLANNING. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD. | 2026-07-15 → 2029-06-30 | $350K |
| 80NSSC25K7686 | EXECUTE A BALANCED SCIENCE PROGRAM BASED ON DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC GUIDANCE FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES AND DIRECTION FROM CONGRESS. PARTICIPATE AS A KEY PARTNER AND ENABLER IN THE AGENCY S EXPLORATION INITIATIVE FOCUSING ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OF ON AND FROM THE MOON LUNAR ORBIT MARS AND BEYOND. ADVANCE DISCOVERY IN EMERGING FIELDS BY IDENTIFYING AND EXPLOITING CROSS-DISCIPLINARY OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL SCIENCE DISCIPLINES DEVELOP A DIRECTORATE-WIDE TARGET-USER FOCUSED APPROACH TO APPLIED PROGRAMS INCLUDING EARTH SCIENCE APPLICATIONS SPACE WEATHER PLANETARY DEFENSE AND SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. | 2025-06-01 → 2028-05-31 | $347K |
| 80NSSC25K7714 | EXECUTE A BALANCED SCIENCE PROGRAM BASED ON DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC GUIDANCE FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES AND DIRECTION FROM CONGRESS. PARTICIPATE AS A KEY PARTNER AND ENABLER IN THE AGENCY S EXPLORATION INITIATIVE FOCUSING ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OF ON AND FROM THE MOON LUNAR ORBIT MARS AND BEYOND. ADVANCE DISCOVERY IN EMERGING FIELDS BY IDENTIFYING AND EXPLOITING CROSS-DISCIPLINARY OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL SCIENCE DISCIPLINES DEVELOP A DIRECTORATE-WIDE TARGET-USER FOCUSED APPROACH TO APPLIED PROGRAMS INCLUDING EARTH SCIENCE APPLICATIONS SPACE WEATHER PLANETARY DEFENSE AND SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS | 2025-02-18 → 2028-02-17 | $345K |
| 80NSSC25K7449 | EXECUTE A BALANCED SCIENCE PROGRAM BASED ON DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC GUIDANCE FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES AND DIRECTION FROM CONGRESS. PARTICIPATE AS A KEY PARTNER AND ENABLER IN THE AGENCY S EXPLORATION INITIATIVE FOCUSING ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OF ON AND FROM THE MOON LUNAR ORBIT MARS AND BEYOND. ADVANCE DISCOVERY IN EMERGING FIELDS BY IDENTIFYING AND EXPLOITING CROSS-DISCIPLINARY OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL SCIENCE DISCIPLINES DEVELOP A DIRECTORATE-WIDE TARGET-USER FOCUSED APPROACH TO APPLIED PROGRAMS INCLUDING EARTH SCIENCE APPLICATIONS SPACE WEATHER PLANETARY DEFENSE AND SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. | 2025-06-01 → 2028-05-31 | $306K |
| 80NSSC25K7476 | EXECUTE A BALANCED SCIENCE PROGRAM BASED ON DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC GUIDANCE FROM THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE ADMINISTRATION PRIORITIES AND DIRECTION FROM CONGRESS. PARTICIPATE AS A KEY PARTNER AND ENABLER IN THE AGENCY S EXPLORATION INITIATIVE FOCUSING ON SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OF ON AND FROM THE MOON LUNAR ORBIT MARS AND BEYOND. ADVANCE DISCOVERY IN EMERGING FIELDS BY IDENTIFYING AND EXPLOITING CROSS-DISCIPLINARY OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL SCIENCE DISCIPLINES DEVELOP A DIRECTORATE-WIDE TARGET-USER FOCUSED APPROACH TO APPLIED PROGRAMS INCLUDING EARTH SCIENCE APPLICATIONS SPACE WEATHER PLANETARY DEFENSE AND SPACE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. | 2025-05-01 → 2030-04-30 | $199K |
| 80NSSC24K1864 | WHISTLER-MODE WAVES IN THE LUNAR PLASMA ENVIRONMENT AND THEIR RESPONSE TO INTERPLANETARY SHOCKS | 2025-01-01 → 2027-12-31 | $150K |
| 80NSSC23K1137 | GENERATION OF PROFILES OF ELECTRON DENSITY IN THE LUNAR IONOSPHERE FROM LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER RADIO OCCULTATION OBSERVATIONS | 2023-05-09 → 2024-05-08 | $89K |
| 80NSSC26K1016 | BOSTON UNIVERSITY WILL PROCESS LUNAR RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER (LRO) RADIO OCCULTATION DATA TO GENERATE AND VALIDATE LUNAR IONOSPHERIC ELECTRON DENSITY PROFILES. THEY WILL DELIVER ARCHIVE-READY DATA PRODUCTS ANALYZE AND INTERPRET RESULTS PRESENT FINDI | 2026-06-08 → 2029-06-07 | $39K |