. 24/7 Space News .
EARTH OBSERVATION
NASA selects investigation teams to join Geospace Dynamics Mission
by Staff Writers
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Apr 27, 2022

Concept animation of Geospace Dynamics Constellation orbiting Earth through the upper atmosphere. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/ULA/Pond5/Artbeats

NASA has selected three investigation teams to join the agency's Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) mission science team in studying Earth's upper atmosphere, as well as five additional investigations that will be under consideration for inclusion in the mission.

GDC is a coordinated group of satellites that will provide the first direct global measurements of the dynamic and complex region of space enveloping Earth - known as the ionosphere and thermosphere (I-T) region. The constellation's ability to simultaneously study processes operating across a range of temporal and spatial scales will provide an unprecedented level of understanding of this region.

GDC will fundamentally advance scientists' understanding of this interface to Earth's space environment much like early weather satellites did for global weather systems. The three GDC investigations selected for flight have a combined budget of $149 million to design and deliver their instruments to the mission.

"GDC will greatly increase our understanding of and ability to mitigate the effects of space weather," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "What we learn from GDC about I-T is both critical for missions in low-Earth orbit, and a critical ingredient for understanding orbital debris in that domain."

Planned for launch no earlier than September 2027, GDC will orbit in the same altitude range as the International Space Station, approximately 215 to 250 miles above Earth. This region is where Earth's I-T system strongly responds to energy inputs from the Sun and space environment above, and from the lower atmosphere below - and where it internally redistributes this energy throughout near-Earth space.

The processes and dynamics active in this region can lead to many of the space weather effects we experience on Earth, such as disrupted communications and navigation signals, satellite orbit disruptions, and certain triggered power outages. GDC will provide the scientific foundation necessary to understand space weather processes, leading to the ability to better prepare for and mitigate its effects.

The newly selected investigators will join the GDC Interdisciplinary Scientists selected in November 2021: Rebecca Bishop at The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, California, Yue Deng at the University of Texas in Arlington, and Jeffrey Thayer at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

The three selected investigations are:

The Comprehensive Auroral Precipitation Experiment (CAPE)

CAPE will measure high-energy charged particles entering the upper atmosphere from Earth's space environment. These particles deposit energy into the upper atmosphere, powering processes that cause large-scale redistributions of mass and energy. CAPE's instrument uses electrostatic analyzers, which are able to precisely measure these charged particles. CAPE is led by Daniel Gershman at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Atmospheric Electrodynamics probe for THERmal plasma (AETHER)

AETHER will describe the complex nature and structure of the ionosphere focusing on understanding phenomena that contribute to space weather. AETHER's instrument is a Langmuir probe, which measures electron temperature and density, as well as other features, of the near-Earth plasma. AETHER is led by Laila Andersson at University of Colorado, Boulder.

Modular Spectrometer for Atmosphere and Ionosphere Characterization (MoSAIC)

MoSAIC will measure thermospheric winds and the composition of the thermosphere-ionosphere by observing the charged and non-charged particles within near-Earth space. MoSAIC's instrument is a quadrupole mass spectrometer, which filters these particles by mass for detailed analysis. MoSAIC is led by Mehdi Benna at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in Baltimore.

The five investigations selected by NASA for further consideration will each receive $250,000 to conduct an approximately four-month study. At the end of this period, NASA will select up to two investigations to join the GDC mission.

The following three investigations are being considered for delivery of magnetometers to the GDC spacecraft:

+ Magnetic Field Investigation for Currents and Energy Flow in Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere Coupling (MAG), led by Guan Le at NASA Goddard

+ Near Earth Magnetometer Instrument in a Small Integrated System (NEMISIS), led by Mark Moldwin at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor

+ MAGnetometers to Advance GDC (MAG), led by David Miles at University of Iowa in Iowa City

The following two investigations are being considered for delivery of thermal plasma instruments to the GDC spacecraft:

+ Thermal Plasma Sensor for the Geospace Dynamics Constellation (TPS), led by Philip Anderson at University of Texas in Dallas

+ 3-Dimensional ion velocity and composition Imager (3DI), led by Keiichi Ogasawara at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio

As part of GDC's continuing formulation activities, NASA will release a draft Request for Proposals for the mission spacecraft. For more information see the Contract Opportunity notice.

The GDC mission is managed by the Heliophysics Division's Living with a Star Program at NASA Goddard.


Related Links
GDC Mission Blog for GSFC News
Earth Observation News - Suppiliers, Technology and Application


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


EARTH OBSERVATION
Moody's and Planet Labs form strategic relationship for asset verification services
San Francisco CA (SPX) Apr 25, 2022
Planet Labs and Moody's have entered into an agreement to explore and address the growing demand for assessing and monitoring solutions on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risks. The companies will look to address how Planet's high-cadence geospatial data and Moody's market-leading entity data, methodologies, and products can be leveraged to further refine Moody's existing offerings spanning ESG, Know-Your-Customer (KYC), supply chain and commercial real estate through real-time, on-the ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

EARTH OBSERVATION
NASA Chief expects cooperation with Russia on ISS to continue

NASA extends exploration for 8 planetary science missions

Report identifies priority planetary science mission and planetary defense efforts as strategic investments

Venice readies day-trip booking system to ease crowds

EARTH OBSERVATION
HyPrSpace raises 1M euro in seed funding to develop reusable hybrid micro-launcher

Rocket Lab pushes back attempt of mid-air booster catch to Sunday

Vega-C: Launcher integration begins for inaugural flight VV21

SpaceX launches its latest crew to ISS for NASA

EARTH OBSERVATION
Mars Helicopter spots landing rig and chute from Perseverance

Solar beats nuclear at many potential settlement sites on Mars

Carbon dioxide glaciers are moving at the Martian south pole

Enigmatic rocks on Mars show evidence of a violent origin

EARTH OBSERVATION
NASA Chief slams China's refusal to cooperate with US

Xi Focus: Invigorating China's space exploration dream

Tianzhou-3 docks with Tianhe's front docking port

China reveals missions of Shenzhou-14, Shenzhou-15 space crews

EARTH OBSERVATION
Planet unveils details about Pelican Constellation

AST SpaceMobile announces collaboration with Globe Telecom

Inmarsat CEO issues warning over space sustainability with unmanaged expansion

Smiling Sam

EARTH OBSERVATION
AFRL is developing green power for satellites

NASA mentors students to achieve high performance in supercomputing competition

Fault-tolerant quantum computer memory in diamond

How can we reduce the carbon footprint of global computing?

EARTH OBSERVATION
Origin of complex cells started without oxygen

Scientists study microorganisms on Earth to gain insight into life on other planets

Could the blueprint for life have been generated in asteroids

Hubble observations used to answer key exoplanet questions

EARTH OBSERVATION
Greenland Ice, Jupiter Moon Share Similar Feature

Search for life on Jupiter moon Europa bolstered by new study

Abundant features on Europa bodes well for search for extraterrestrial life

Jupiter's moon has splendid dunes









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.