Falcon Neuro—Neuromorphic Cameras for sprite and lightning detection on the International Space Station

Abstract:

Falcon Neuro is the latest payload to be built and flown on the International Space Station (ISS) by cadets and faculty at the Air Force Academy. The objective of the mission is to use neuromorphic cameras to detect lightning and sprites from low earth orbit. Neuromorphic cameras are a class of non-traditional imaging devices inspired by biological retinas. These devices operate in a fundamentally different imaging paradigm from conventional cameras, producing a spatio-temporal output instead of conventional frames. These cameras, also known as silicon retinas, contain specialized in-pixel circuitry to detect and generate data in response to changes in log-illumination at each pixel. Each pixel therefore operates independently and asynchronously, generating events in response to changes around their own individual setpoint. This results in a dramatic reduction in the power consumption and data output of the sensor. The asynchronous nature of these devices also allows for very high temporal resolution imaging, with the events generated on the camera with microsecond resolution. These devices therefore offer the potential to perform low-power, continuous, and high-speed imaging and without the high data rates associated with high-speed cameras. Falcon Neuro consists of two neuromorphic cameras, one nadir, and one directed ram. Both cameras work in the visible spectrum, and have a 10 degree field of view. The nadir camera will be used to detect lightning, while the ram camera is designed to detect sprites. Falcon Neuro is manifested to fly to the ISS in February of 2022. Details of the design, and expected temporal and spatial performance will be discussed.