Designing a precision current source for a thermistor measurement system for use on a CubeSat

• Other Authors: Walker, Tariq (author), Sewell, Scott (contributor), Burke, Damon (contributor), Dagon, Katherine (contributor)
• Format: Manuscript
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Northern lights
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5065/6dc3-8e28

The Sun is responsible for many radiative processes that are vital to maintaining life on Earth, including the fundamental input of warmth and light to our planet. Yet, the Sun also produces harmful particles and radiation which reach the Earth in the form of space weather. These charged particles can be directed towards the Earth's poles by the Earth's geomagnetic field and cause beautiful phenomena such as the Northern Lights. Much of the harmful radiation is absorbed by the ozone layer in the upper earth's atmosphere, but there are still impacts from the Sun's emissions capable of causing harm, most notably arising from the Sun's coronal magnetic field. Those issues include interference of air to ground communication, and the harm of space electronics within orbit. The focus this summer for NCAR's high-altitude observatory (HAO) was towards the development of a space-qualified optical filtering system to measure these coronal magnetic fields. Specifically, the primary stages of the development of a thermistor-based temperature measurement system aboard an Electronic Tuning Control Board (TCB). Although, this goal was not achieved, we were able to understand how to use thermistors as a vital component within the system for temperature measurement, corresponding to specific resistances and voltage readings. This clear understanding led to the success of simulating a prototype circuit within a circuit simulation software. With the success of the simulation, we can build a physical circuit that shall measure temperatures between +20 to +40 degrees Celsius.