Preliminary Results of Tissue-Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC) Dosimeter for Measuring In-Situ Aviation Radiation

We develop the tissue-equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) type’s space radiation dosimeter to measure in-situ aviation radiation. That was originally developed as a payload of small satellite in the low-earth orbit. This dosimeter is based on a TEPC. It is made of an A-150 tissue-equivalent plastic shell of an internal diameter of 6 cm and a thickness of 0.3 cm. TEPC is filled with pure propane at 13.9 torrs to simulate a cell diameter of 2 μm. And the associated portable and low power electronics are also implemented. The verification experiments have been performed by the calibration experiments at ground level and compared with Liulin observation at aircraft altitude during the flight between Incheon airport (ICN) and John F. Kennedy airport (JFK). We found that the TEPC dosimeter can be used as a monitor for space radiation dosimeter at aviation altitude based on the verification with Liulin observation

A Study of Thermal Analysis of KAONICS

It is very important to eliminate thermal background radiation for the near infrared camera system such as KAONICS (KAO Near Infrared Camera System). Thermal background radiations which come from window and cryostat wall influence IR detector and decrease IR system performance. Therefore the cold box which contains optics and detector housing must be cooled down to eliminate thermal background radiation. We carried out quantitative analysis to determine internal cooling temperature to reduce thermal noise in the J, H, Ks, and L bandpass. Additionally, we estimated the incoming heat load and then chose the cryocooler adequate to KAONICS's requirements. The cooling time and the final cooling temperature of the cold box were calculated. These results were also implemented to the system design

Near-Infrared Observing Conditions at the BOAO and the SOAO

Korea Astronomy Observatory(KAO) has been developing the KAONICS, KAO Near-Infrared Camera System, which will be used for near-infrared observations in the ground-based telescopes of Korea. As a phase-A study for this work, we investigated observational environments at the Sobaeksan Optical Astronomy Observatory(SOAO) and the Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory(BOAO) quantitatively. In the J, H, K, and L bands, atmospheric transmission was calculated mainly depending on the PWV(Precipitable Water Vapour), and limiting magnitudes were computed for the SOAO and the BOAO, respectively. We conclude that these observatories have similar observing capabilities and domestic observations are possible in near-infrared

Performance Analysis for Mirrors of 30 cm Cryogenic Space Infrared Telescope

We have designed a 30 cm cryogenic space infrared telescope for astronomical observation. The telescope is designed to observe in the wavelength range of 0.5~2.1 μm, when it is cooled down to 77 K. The result of the preliminary design of the support structure and support method of the mirror of a 30 cm cryogenic space infrared telescope is shown in this paper. As a Cassegrain prescription, the optical system of a 30 cm cryogenic space infrared telescope has a focal ratio of f/3.1 with a 300 mm primary mirror (M-1) and 113 mm secondary mirror (M-2). The material of the whole structure including mirrors is aluminum alloy (Al6061-T6). Flexures that can withstand random vibration were designed, and it was validated through opto-mechanical analysis that both primary and secondary mirrors, which are assembled in the support structure, meet the requirement of root mean square wavefront error <λ/8 for all gravity direction. Additionally, when the M-1 and flexures are assembled by bolts, the effect of thermal stress occurring from a stainless steel bolt when cooled and bolt torque on the M-1 was analyzed

Development of a Monitoring System for an Infrared Camera

The KASINICS (KASI Near-Infrared Camera System) is a ground-based instrument developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI). We developed a temperature and vacuum monitoring system for operating the KASINICS. The system consists of hardware and software parts. The acquired data are saved on a hard disk in a real-time mode. This system can also be applied to general cryogenic instruments. We tested our monitoring system for the cooling and vacuum performance of the KASINICS. The results show that our system is efficient and stable for the operation of the KASINICS

Thermal Analysis of MIRIS Space Observation Camera for Verification of Passive Cooling

We conducted thermal analyses and cooling tests of the space observation camera (SOC) of the multi-purpose infrared imaging system (MIRIS) to verify passive cooling. The thermal analyses were conducted with NX 7.0 TMG for two cases of attitude of the MIRIS: for the worst hot case and normal case. Through the thermal analyses of the flight model, it was found that even in the worst case the telescope could be cooled to less than 206°K. This is similar to the results of the passive cooling test (~200.2°K). For the normal attitude case of the analysis, on the other hand, the SOC telescope was cooled to about 160°K in 10 days. Based on the results of these analyses and the test, it was determined that the telescope of the MIRIS SOC could be successfully cooled to below 200°K with passive cooling. The SOC is, therefore, expected to have optimal performance under cooled conditions in orbit

Precipitable Water Vapor Conditions for Infrared Observations at Korean Astronomical Observatories

KASINICS (Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute Near Infrared Camera System) is equipped with a InSb array which can observe 1--5~μm bands in near-infrared. The absorption and emission by telluric water vapor becomes serious in the bands longer than 3~μm. We measured PWV (Precipitable Water Vapor) levels above Bohyusan Optical Astronomy Observatory and Sobaeksan Optical Astronomy Observatory from July 2006 to August 2007 using the GPS PWV measurement system of KASI. We found that monthly averaged PWVs are lower than the prediction using dew-point temperature and as low as above Kitt Peak from September to February