Monday 17 November 2025
The Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder for the International Space Station (TIGERISS) is a NASA-funded mission designed to make accurate measurements of individual element abundances in the cosmic radiation. The instrument, set to launch in 2027, will be attached to the Columbus module on the ISS and will provide the first definitive measurements of Ultra-Heavy Galactic Cosmic Rays (UHGCRs) on an individual element basis past barium.
The TIGERISS instrument is comprised of four planes of single-sided silicon strip detectors arranged in orthogonal X-Y layers with an X-Y pair above and an X-Y pair below two large-area Cherenkov detectors. The combination of the Cherenkov velocity measurements with the precise measurements of ionization and trajectory of traversing cosmic rays leads to highly accurate charge measurements.
The silicon strip detector system is based on single-sided, DC-coupled SSDs with 100mm x 100mm area and 500μm thickness. These detectors have been characterized in CERN tests using lead and lead-fragmented beams, demonstrating measurements with single-element resolution from helium to lead. The charge-resolution performance provides TIGERISS with the capability to measure nuclei at Z ≥ 56 (barium and above) compared to that obtained with previous missions.
The instrument’s trigger is generated by the OR of the ohmic ionization signals from each SSD in a ladder, with a backup trigger provided on the strip side using the OR of the strip signals on each ladder. The analog grounds are common for the ohmic and strip FEE electronics and these are isolated from the chassis ground of the instrument.
The development of the TIGERISS instrument is focused on constructing Engineering Development Units (EDUs) to support near-term environmental tests. EDUs are 3-SSD long versions of the 9-SSD long protoflight units for the full TIGERISS instrument. The assembly process involves placing the flexcircuit on an aluminum-clad rohacell, attaching SSDs using conductive epoxy and transfer tape, wire bonding strips and guard rings, and final detector attachment to the flexcircuit.
The TIGERISS mission is supported by NASA awards at Goddard Space Flight Center and Northern Kentucky University. The instrument’s performance requirements are detailed in tables 1 and 2, which provide information on the payload location, mass, power, and data rate.
Cite this article: “Trans-iron Galactic Element Recorder for the International Space Station (TIGERISS)”, The Science Archive, 2025.
Here Are The Keywords: Tigeriss, Nasa, Iss, Cosmic Rays, Silicon Strip Detectors, Cherenkov Detectors, Space Instrumentation, Particle Physics, Galactic Elements, Space Exploration
