LUCID

LUCID stands for Langton Ultimate Cosmic ray Intensity Detector.  It is a new style cosmic ray detector that will fly on TechDemoSat - 1 in the Autumn of 2012.   LUCID allows characterisation of the energy, type, intensity and directionality of high energy particles. The device makes use of detector technology developed at CERN (European Laboratory for Particle Physics) using Timepix chips from the Medipix Collaboration.  The chips are arranged around the five sides of a cube as shown below.  Surrey Satellite Technology Limited has developed the student design and just recently bonded the chips at CERN.  Students are working on the algorithm to take data and are inspired by seeing the real LUCID detector at the recent Medipix Collaboration meeting held at the school.

The data obtained from LUCID is of interest to the Space Weather community and NASA in terms of radiation monitoring.  The project provides inspiration to the next generation of physicists and engineers.