The Magnetosphere Imager Mission Concept Definition Study

摘要

For three decades, magnetospheric field and plasma measurements have been made by diverse instruments flown on spacecraft in many different orbits, widely separated in space and time, and under various solar and magnetospheric conditions. Scientists have used this information to piece together an intricate, yet incomplete view of the magnetosphere. A simultaneous global view, using various light wavelengths and energetic neutral atoms, could reveal exciting new data and help explain complex magnetospheric processes, thus providing us with a clear picture of this region of space. The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is responsible for defining the Magnetosphere Imager mission which will study this region of space. A core instrument complement of three imagers (with the potential addition of one or more mission enhancing instrument) will fly in an elliptical polar Earth orbit with an apogee of 44,600 kilometers and a perigee of 4,800 km. This report will address the mission objectives, spacecraft design concepts, and the results of the MSFC concept definition study.