Turning the Knobs of the Radiation Belts: The DSX Science Mission

The Air Force Research Laboratory will soon launch its Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX) mission to investigate wave-particle interactions and the particle and space environment in medium Earth orbit (MEO). With the Wave-Particle Interactions (WPIx) instrument suite, active experiments will be done with VLF transmitters, receivers, and the Loss Cone Imager (LCI) particle detector to investigate VLF transmission, propagation, and interaction with trapped particles in a controlled manner. WPIx will also be used to observe the natural wave population and explore the basic physics of an antenna in a plasma. The Space Weather Experiment (SWx) suite includes ve particle instruments to survey the MEO electron and proton environment across a wide energy spectrum. Many of these instruments include pitch-angle resolution to allow thorough characterization of relevant populations. In addition, the orbit of DSX will allow study of the dynamics of the particle population in the slot region. The Space Environmental Effects Experiment (SFx) will investigate effects of the MEO environment on electronics and materials. We will describe the capabilities of these instruments, planned science campaigns, and opportunities for collaborative studies including conjunction observations and far-field measurements.