BackForwardInstrument:  Nucleon 

Instrument details
Acronym Nucleon
Full name Coronas-Nucleon
Purpose Space Weather - specifically, particle fluxes in cosmic rays
Short description Several instruments to measure spectra of high-energy cosmic rays to search for evidence of the existence of antimatter, dark matter and other strange forms of matter. Assumed to be similar to PAMELA: protons (0.08-700 GeV), anti-protons, positrons , electrons (0.05-400 GeV), light nuclei (up to Z = 6, i.e. carbon) (0.1-700 GeV/n) and neutrons (0.008-10000 GeV)
Background Follow-on of PAMELA (Payload for AntiMatter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics) flown on Resurs-DK. Originally intended to be flown as a dedicated satellite (Coronas-Nucleon)
Scanning Technique Interplanetary space observation from a sunsynchronous orbit
Resolution N/A
Coverage / Cycle Nearly full interplanetary space
Mass 300 kg Power Data Rate

 

Providing Agency Roscosmos
Instrument Maturity Flown on an R&D satellite
Utilization Period: 2015 to 2018
Last update: 2022-08-02
Detailed characteristics
Satellites this instrument is flying on

Note: a red tag indicates satellites no longer operational, a green tag indicates operational satellites, a blue tag indicates future satellites

Instrument classification
  • Solar and space environment monitors
  • Energetic particle spectrometer
WIGOS Subcomponents
  • Subcomponent 1
  • In-situ plasma probes, and energetic particle spectrometers and magnetometers at GEO and LEO, and magnetic field at GEO
  • Electron sensor at LEO
  • Proton sensor at LEO
  • Alpha-particle sensor at LEO
  • Heavy ion sensor at LEO
  • Plasma density sensor at LEO
  • Plasma temperature sensor at LEO
  • Plasma velocity sensor at LEO
  • Subcomponent 3
  • Neutral and Ion Mass Spectrometer
  • Heavy ions mass spectrometer [from LEO and HEO]
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • Alpha particles differential directional flux
  • Cosmic ray neutron flux spectrum
  • Electron differential directional flux
  • Heavy ion flux energy and mass spectrum
  • Proton differential directional flux
Evaluation of Measurements

The following list indicates which measurements can typically be retrieved from this category of instrument. To see a full Gap Analysis by Variable, click on the respective variable.

Note: table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers
Note: * Primary mission objective.
VariableRelevance for measuring this variableOperational limitationsExplanation
Electron differential directional flux*3 - highNo specific limitation.Interplanetary space, high energy (over 400 keV)
Proton differential directional flux*3 - highNo specific limitation.Interplanetary space, high energy (over 1000 keV)
Alpha particles differential directional flux*1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Sun-pointing. Medium-high energy (over 10 to >100 MeV/n)
Solar wind density1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Interplanetary space. Infrerred from Proton. Electron and Alpha-particle spectroscopy
Solar wind temperature1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Interplanetary space. Infrerred from Proton. Electron and Alpha-particle spectroscopy
Solar wind velocity1 - primaryNo specific limitation.Interplanetary space. Infrerred from Proton. Electron and Alpha-particle spectroscopy
Heavy ion flux energy and mass spectrum*3 - highNo specific limitation.Sun-pointing. Medium-high energy (over 10 to >100 MeV/n)
Cosmic ray neutron flux spectrum*2 - very highNo specific limitation.Solar. Extended energy range (<10 to >100 MeV/n)