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The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) Investigation

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Abstract

The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is an energetic particle detector designed to measure a broad spectrum of energetic particle radiation. It will make the first-ever direct radiation measurements on the surface of Mars, detecting galactic cosmic rays, solar energetic particles, secondary neutrons, and other secondary particles created both in the atmosphere and in the Martian regolith. The radiation environment on Mars, both past and present, may have implications for habitability and the ability to sustain life. Radiation exposure is also a major concern for future human missions. The RAD instrument combines charged- and neutral-particle detection capability over a wide dynamic range in a compact, low-mass, low-power instrument. These capabilities are required in order to measure all the important components of the radiation environment.

RAD consists of the RAD Sensor Head (RSH) and the RAD Electronics Box (REB) integrated together in a small, compact volume. The RSH contains a solid-state detector telescope with three silicon PIN diodes for charged particle detection, a thallium doped Cesium Iodide scintillator, plastic scintillators for neutron detection and anti-coincidence shielding, and the front-end electronics. The REB contains three circuit boards, one with a novel mixed-signal ASIC for processing analog signals and an associated control FPGA, another with a second FPGA to communicate with the rover and perform onboard analysis of science data, and a third board with power supplies and power cycling or “sleep”-control electronics. The latter enables autonomous operation, independent of commands from the rover. RAD is a highly capable and highly configurable instrument that paves the way for future compact energetic particle detectors in space.

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Notes

  1. Scaling to LET assumes a constant ratio between dE/dx in silicon and dE/dx in water. This is a good approximation at high energies, but it becomes less accurate below about 200 MeV/nuc.

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Acknowledgements

RAD is supported by NASA (HEOMD) under JPL subcontract #1273039 to Southwest Research Institute and in Germany by DLR and DLR’s Space Administration grant 50QM0501 to the Christian-Albrechts-University (CAU) Kiel. We would like to extend a huge thanks to Jeff Simmonds (MSL Payload Manager) and the Project Science Team John Grotzinger, Joy Crisp, and Ashwin Vasvada, the NASA Program Scientist Michael Meyer, and the first Project Scientist Edward Stolper. We would also like to extend a special thanks to Chris Moore and Gale Allen at NASA HQ (HEOMD) and Heiner Witte at DLR in Germany for their unwavering support of RAD over the years. Support for RAD calibration beam time at BNL/NSRL has been provided by the NASA HRP Program. We also thank the management and operators of the HIMAC facility at NIRS (Chiba, Japan), TSL in Uppsala, Sweden, and iThemba Labs in South Africa for their many hours of excellent beam time and support of RAD calibration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO, USA

    D. M. Hassler, C. Zeitlin, J. Andrews, M. A. Bullock, B. Ehresmann, K. Neal, J. Peterson & S. Rafkin

  2. Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany

    R. F. Wimmer-Schweingruber, S. Böttcher, C. Martin, E. Böhm, S. Burmeister, J. Köhler, O. Kortmann & L. Seimetz

  3. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, USA

    D. E. Brinza

  4. Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA

    M. Epperly, K. D. Smith, Y. Tyler & G. Weigle

  5. Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver, CO, USA

    D. Grinspoon

  6. Space Sciences Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA

    O. Kortmann

  7. NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, USA

    A. Posner

  8. Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Köln, Germany

    G. Reitz

  9. NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA

    F. A. Cucinotta

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  25. F. A. Cucinotta
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Correspondence to D. M. Hassler.

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Hassler, D.M., Zeitlin, C., Wimmer-Schweingruber, R.F. et al. The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) Investigation. Space Sci Rev 170, 503–558 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-012-9913-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-012-9913-1

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