The Thermospheric and Ionospheric Research experimental program consists of an instrument development program and a data analysis effort. Instruments have been developed for flight on rockets and various satellites, including the Advanced Research and Global Observations Satellite (ARGOS); the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP); the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) satellites; and the International Space Station. The group’s efforts center on the design, development, calibration, and flight of spectroscopic instruments, which are used to study the physics and chemistry of the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Data from COSMIC, ARGOS, DMSP/SSULI, ANDE, ISS/RAIDS, ISS/GROUP-C, and rocket experiments are analyzed using atmospheric models, which include radiation transport, photoelectron production and excitation, and fluorescent excitation. A recent research focus area of particular interest is ultraviolet optical tomography of ionospheric and atmospheric morphology for space environment specification using SSULI/SSUSI, COSMIC/TIP, and the ISS GROUP-C/LITES experiments.

Additional Benefits

Awardees who reside more than 50 miles from their host laboratory and remain on tenure for at least six months are eligible for paid relocation to within the vicinity of their host laboratory.

A group health insurance program is available to awardees and their qualifying dependents in the United States.