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The
Spacecraft
ACE spacecraft
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The
Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft is designed
to identify matter that comes near the Earth and to help scientists
better understand the formation and evolution of the solar
system. This matter can come from the Sun, the 'space' between
planets, and the Milky Way galaxy. When reporting space weather,
ACE can provide an advanced warning (about 1 hour) of geomagnetic
storms that can affect Earth systems. It was launched on August
25, 1997.
TRT:
:35
SUPER: NASA / ISAS
Cluster Spacecraft
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Four
identical spacecraft carrying a complement of 11 identical
instruments each, were launched in July and August 2000. The
four fly in a close pyramid formation, giving scientists three-dimensional
views of near-Earth space. Specifically they investigate the
solar wind as it crashes into our planet's magnetosphere.
TRT:
:33
SUPER: NASA / ESA
GEOTAIL
Spacecraft
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A
joint US/Japanese project, 'Geotail' was the first in a series
of five satellites to better understand the interaction of
the Sun, the Earth's magnetic field and the Van Allen radiation
belts. Located in the magnetic tail of the magnetosphere on
the night side of the Earth, an area critical to understanding
the interaction of the Sun and Earth, its primary objective
is to study dynamics of the Earth's magnetotail. The spacecraft
was launched on July 24, 1992.
TRT: :12
SUPER: NASA / ISAS
IMAGE Spacecraft (g00-004,
053)
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Launched
on March 25, 2000, the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global
Exploration (IMAGE) spacecraft obtains continuous global images
of charged particles in the Earth's magnetosphere and tracks
these solar storms. One such storm can launch huge amounts
of plasma from the Sun at more than 1 million mph and affect
Earth systems.
TRT:
:25
SUPER: NASA
POLAR
Spacecraft
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'Polar'
was launched on February 24, 1996 to study the geospace, or
Earth's space environment. It performs simultaneous, coordinated
measurements of key regions including observations of the
entry and transport of solar plasma over Earth's magnetic
poles, imaging of the northern aurora (Northern Lights), and
investigations of solar wind properties.
TRT:
:16
SUPER: NASA
RHESSI
spacecraft
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The
Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) spacecraft
watches the Sun in X-rays and gamma rays. RHESSI is the first
spacecraft to make high-resolution movies of flares using
their high-energy radiation. Launched on Feb. 5, 2002, its
primary objective is to study the secrets of how solar flares
are produced in the Sun's atmosphere. RHESSI orbits Earth
about 15 times a day and spins on its axis every 4 seconds.
SUPER: NASA
SOHO Spacecraft
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Advance
warning of potential bad weather in space is now possible
thanks to the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft
launched in 1995. SOHO operates at a vantagepoint of about
1 million miles out in space between the Sun and Earth. It
carries 12 instruments and is a joint project with the European
Space Agency.
Instruments
include the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) that allows scientists
to use a sort of ultrasound capability to see the far side
of the Sun and inside it. The Large Angle Spectrometric Coronograph
(LASCO) mimics an eclipse in order to study the Sun's corona,
or outer atmosphere. The Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope
(EIT) allows for a full-disk view of the Sun.
TRT: :21
SUPER: NASA / ESA
SORCE
spacecraft
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Image
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The
SOlar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) maintains a
24-year legacy of solar output monitoring that should help
explain and predict the effect of the Sun on the Earth's atmosphere
and climate. With four instruments, it orbits Earth 15 times
a day and analyzes the Sun's energy in visible, ultraviolet
and infrared wavelengths that can be used to determine solar
heating of Earth's oceans, ice, land and absorbing layers
of the atmosphere. SORCE launched in January 2003.
SUPER: NASA / LASP
TIMED
Spacecraft (g01-022)
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Launched
in Dec. 2001, the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere-Energetics
and Dynamics (TIMED) spacecraft is the first to study the
region of our atmosphere that acts as a gateway between Earth's
environment and space, called the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere/
Ionosphere (MLTI). Scientists hope to get a better understand
of how Earth's environment and surroundings are impacted by
solar energy.
TRT:
:19
SUPER: NASA / APL
TRACE
Spacecraft
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NASA's
Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE) points its
powerful telescope at the "transition region" of
the Sun's atmosphere, a highly volatile and dynamic region.
Sensitive to ultraviolet and extreme-ultraviolet wavelengths
of light, which are invisible to the human eye, scientists
are given dynamic views of solar explosions and coronal mass
ejections (CMEs). TRACE was launched on April 1, 1998.
TRT:
:32
SUPER: NASA / LMSAL
WIND
Spacecraft
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The
'Wind' spacecraft provides complete plasma, energetic particle,
and magnetic field input for magnetospheric and ionospheric
studies. It detects the magnetic field carried by coronal
mass ejection clouds, but its location only allows scientists
about an hour's notice. It can estimate how severe the space
storm will be by measuring the direction of the magnetic field,
though. It was launched on November 1, 1994.
TRT:
:20
SUPER: NASA
YOHKOH
Spacecraft (g01-062)
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Image
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Japanese
for "sunbeam", the Yohkoh spacecraft celebrated
its 10th anniversary this year. Traveling in a 96-minute,
nearly circular orbit, it is the first spacecraft to continuously
observe the Sun in X-rays over an entire cycle (about 11 years).
One of its main purposes is to study high-energy solar flares
to scrutinize where and how the energy is released and particle
acceleration takes place.
TRT:
:07
SUPER: NASA / ISAS
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