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<\/a><\/figure>NASA has selected one small explorer mission concept to advance toward flight design and another for an extended period of concept development.<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s Science Mission Directorate Science Management Council selected CINEMA (Cross-scale Investigation of Earth\u2019s Magnetotail and Aurora) to enter Phase B of development, which includes planning and design for flight and mission operations. The principal investigator for the CINEMA mission concept is Robyn Millan from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.<\/p>\n
The proposed CINEMA mission aims to advance our understanding of how plasma energy flows into the Earth\u2019s magnetosphere. This highly dynamic convective flow is unpredictable \u2014 sometimes steady and sometimes explosive \u2014 driving phenomena like fast plasma jets, global electrical current systems, and spectacular auroral displays.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe CINEMA mission will help us to research magnetic convection in Earth\u2019s magnetosphere \u2014 a critical piece of the puzzle in understanding why some space weather events are so influential, such as causing magnificent aurora displays and impacts to ground- and space-based infrastructure, and others seem to fizzle out,\u201d said Joe Westlake, director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. \u201cUsing multiple, multi-point measurements to improve predictions of these impacts on humans and technology across the solar system is a key strategy for the future of heliophysics research.\u201d<\/p>\n
The CINEMA mission\u2019s constellation of nine small satellites will investigate the convective mystery using a combination of instruments \u2014 an energetic particle detector, an auroral imager, and a magnetometer \u2014 on each spacecraft in a polar low Earth orbit. By relating the energetic particles observed in this orbit to simultaneous auroral images and local magnetic field measurements, CINEMA aims to connect energetic activity in Earth\u2019s large-scale magnetic structure to the visible signatures like aurora that we see in the ionosphere. The mission has been awarded approximately $28 million to enter Phase B. The total cost of the mission, not including launch, will not exceed $182.8 million. Phase B will last 10 months, and if selected, the mission would launch no earlier than 2030.<\/p>\n
NASA also selected the proposed CMEx (Chromospheric Magnetism Explorer) mission for an extended Phase A study. This extended phase is for the mission to assess and refine their design for potential future consideration. The principal investigator for the CMEx mission concept study is Holly Gilbert from the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. The cost of the extended Phase A, which will last 12 months, is $2 million.<\/p>\n
The CMEx concept is a proposed single-spacecraft mission that would use proven UV spectropolarimetric instrumentation that has been demonstrated during NASA\u2019s CLASP<\/a> (Chromospheric Layer Spectropolarimeter) sub-orbital sounding rocket flight. Using this heritage hardware, CMEx would be able to diagnose lower layers of the Sun\u2019s chromosphere to understand the origin of solar eruptions and determine the magnetic sources of the solar wind.<\/p>\n The proposed missions completed a one-year early concept study<\/a> in response to the 2022 Heliophysics Explorers Program Small-class Explorer (SMEX) Announcement of Opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cSpace is becoming increasingly more important and plays a role in just about everything we do,\u201d said Asal Naseri, acting associate flight director for heliophysics at NASA Headquarters. \u201cThese mission concepts, if advanced to flight, will improve our ability to predict solar events that could harm satellites that we rely on every day and mitigate danger to astronauts near Earth, at the Moon, or Mars.\u201d<\/p>\n To learn more about NASA heliophysics missions, visit:<\/p>\n https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/heliophysics<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n -end-<\/p>\n Abbey Interrante \/ Karen Fox
Headquarters, Washington
301-201-0124 \/ 202-358-1600
abbey.a.interrante@nasa.gov<\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0karen.c.fox@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\nShare<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n