NASA applications primarily involve deep-space self-navigation of interplanetary vehicles. Additionally, improved space weather detection can be achieved, as GLINT detectors on multiple spacecraft would provide a solar system-wide early warning system for solar storms and intense celestial gamma-ray bursts. Detection of such events provides notification for safe harboring of personnel and hardware, monitoring of EVA high-energy radiation dosages, or post-burst analysis of data from sensitive instruments. Advanced GLINT detectors with fast timing electronics and high sensitivity would be directly applicable to future exploration mission instruments. Components designed for navigation would be future extensions to the Inter-Planetary Network of cosmic gamma-ray burst detection, as there is a widespread need for gamma-ray instrumentation on both astrophysics and planetary-science missions. Adding GLINT to these future missions would likely incur marginal increases in cost and complexity, while gaining a new channel of navigation information, whether processed on-board or on the ground.
Non-NASA applications include future DoD and commercial missions that will venture into deep-space. Since GLINT can provide navigation above and beyond Earth orbit, military assets that rise above the GPS constellation gain added utility. Covert operation is secure by allowing vehicles to self-navigate to their destination, since no two-way transmissions are required during an orbit injection phase. For commercial ventures out of low-Earth orbit, even into interplanetary, missions, these new cost-efficient sensors contribute to assisting with the overall success on such missions. These include commercial communication vehicles in geosynchronous or supersynchronous orbits, ventures to the Moon or asteroids, or on interplanetary solar sails. GLINT capabilities include reduced operations cost, as well as reduced reliance on the NASA DSN system. The high-energy detection capabilities would help monitor general space weather for commercial and military EVA crewmembers. GLINT high-energy detectors also contribute to advanced medical and diagnostic imaging capabilities on Earth.
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