Physics – Plasma Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmsh41a1779d&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #SH41A-1779
Physics
Plasma Physics
[7513] Solar Physics, Astrophysics, And Astronomy / Coronal Mass Ejections, [7594] Solar Physics, Astrophysics, And Astronomy / Instruments And Techniques, [7894] Space Plasma Physics / Instruments And Techniques, [7924] Space Weather / Forecasting
Scientific paper
Heliospheric imaging has been shown to yield new insight into ICME physics, and to improve greatly space weather prediction at Earth. However, all existing heliospheric imagers are either well past prime mission (SMEI) or soon to be unable to view near-Earth space (STEREO/HI). We present a novel approach to heliospheric imaging, using a constellation of microsatellites in Sun-synchronous LEO. Recent developments in component miniaturization and standardization allow very inexpensive, very small spacecraft, dominated by an optical baffle in the 30cm size range, to image propagating features in the solar wind. Such spacecraft can be produced and deployed as a constellation to improve imaging cadence and reveal new physics of Earthbound CMEs and other solar wind features. Further, using a constellation improves reliability into the operational class (mean time between failures well over 100 years for the network as a whole), for a fraction of the cost of a single traditional operational-class instrument that can monitor ICMEs to predict space weather. Other advantages conferred by using low-cost LEO microsatellites outweigh challenges of designing to the small form factor. Sensitivity analysis shows that such a microsatellite constellation will enable new scientific measurements relevant to ICME evolution, shock formation, and solar wind propagation that are inaccessible from existing heliospheric imagers and conventional instrument designs, answering fundamental questions about how solar effects interact with the heliosphere.
Chime Mission Development Team
DeForest Craig Edward
Howard Tim A.
Kief C.
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