Engage in NASA's newest flagship to
understand the fundamental process of
magnetic reconnection:
Magnetospheric Multiscale
Student-invited Tutorial
Barbara Giles
and the MMS Team
NASA
Missions
begin with a
Formulation
Authorization
Document
------------------------------------------------------------------1. SPACE PHYSICS FUTURE MISSIONS WORKSHOP AT APL, APRIL 10-11, 1996
------------------------------------------------------------------From: Jim Burch (JBurch@swri.edu)
 planning began in 1996, if not earlier!
Dear Colleagues,
George Withbroe, the Sun-Earth Connection Science Director at NASA,
has appointed a core group for planning and integrating the Space
Physics/Sun-Earth Connection inputs to the overall strategy of the
NASA Office of Space Science. Also known as the Roadmap exercise,
this activity will result in a report for review by NASA Headquarters
and the advisory committees this summer and will culminate in a Woods
Hole mission prioritization meeting in the summer of 1997. Members
of the Sun-Earth Connection core group are listed below. This group
represents most of the major subdisciplines of space physics
(excluding galactic cosmic rays, which are now part of astrophysics).
It is meant to be a sounding board for the community, with the goal
of developing a consensus and finally a roadmap that makes a
compelling case for future Sun-Earth Connection missions to the other
space science disciplines, NASA administrators, Congress, and the
public. Needless to say, this exercise is crucial to the future of
our discipline and needs the widest possible community input.
The first major activity of the Sun-Earth Connection Roadmap exercise
will be a community-wide workshop to be held at the Johns Hopkins
University Applied Physics Laboratory on April 10-11, 1996. Tom
Potemra will be coordinating this workshop for the core group. The
purpose of the workshop will be to develop science themes, identify
needed advanced technologies, and propose specific missions for
study. The roadmap activity will ultimately incorporate the results
of studies to be supported by the New Mission Concepts NRA, which
has recently been released. For the purpose of developing an agenda
for the workshop, please send a brief abstract of any presentation
you wish to make on science themes, advanced technology, or mission
concepts to Tom Potemra (FAX: 301 953-1093, e-mail:
potemra@jhu.apl.edu). While this workshop is mainly intended for the
U.S. community, the program will certainly obtain international
components as time goes on. Thus, the international community is
welcome to attend and make inputs. Unfortunately, no travel support
is available for either the international community or the U. S.
community.
Sun-Earth Connection Strategic Planning Integration Team
Jim Burch (Chairman)
Rich Vondrak (Vice-Chairman)
Loren Acton
Spiro Antiochos
Dan Baker
Jeff Forbes
Rod Heelis
Tim Killeen
Lou Lanzerotti
Marty Lee
Glenn Mason
Dave McComas
Bob Meier
Dick Mewaldt
jburch@swri.edu
vondrak@lepvax.gsfc.nasa.gov
acton@physics.montana.edu
antiochos@nrl.navy.mil
baker@orion.colorado.edu
forbes@zeke.colorado.edu
heelis@utdallas.edu
tkilleen@umich.edu
ljl@physics.att.com
marty.lee@unh.edu
mason@sampx3.umd.edu
dmccomas@lanl.gov
meier@uap.nrl.navy.mil
dick@citsrl.srl.caltech.edu
… and we don’t get to
that point without a
Strategic Plan
P.L. 103-62
P.L. 111-352
A personal journey …
Dynamics Explorer
Aug 1981- Feb 1991
Polar
Feb 1996 – Apr 2008
THEMIS
Feb 2007 – present
IMAGE
March 2000 – Dec 2005
Van Allen Probes
Aug 2012 – present
Geotail
July1992 – current
MMS
Mar 2015 – present
A personal journey …
You are here?
at your first mission?
Dynamics Explorer
Aug 1981- Feb 1991
Dynamics Explorer
Feb 1996 – Apr 2008
THEMIS
Feb 2007 – present
IMAGE
March 2000 – Dec 2005
Van Allen Probes
Aug 2012 – present
Geotail
July1992 – current
MMS
Mar 2015 – present
A personal journey …
What
missions are in IMAGE
your future?
Dynamics Explorer
Geotail
Dynamics Explorer
March
2000
–
Dec
2005
Will youFeb
be1996
one
of2008
the scientists that planJuly1992
long – current
– Apr
Aug 1981- Feb 1991
term? … that invest in the 25 year strategic
planning activities? … that do the hard work
to bring these missions to the community?
It’s not too early to start.
THEMIS
Feb 2007 – present
Van Allen Probes
Aug 2012 – present
MMS
Mar 2015 – present
Who’s Who on MMS?
Science Working Group (SWG) Members
PI and SWG Chair - Jim Burch
Project Scientist and SWG Vice-Chair - Thomas Moore
Deputy PI and Fields team Lead - Roy Torbert
HPCA team Lead - Stephen Fuselier
ASPOC team Lead - Rumi Nakamura
FPI team Lead - Craig Pollock
EPD team Lead - Barry Mauk
Theory and Modeling Lead - Michael Hesse
Science Operation Center Lead - Daniel Baker
Science Operations Lead - Barbara Giles
Burst Mode Lead - Robert Ergun
IDS Lead - Martin Goldman
IDS Lead - Mel Goldstein
IDS Lead - Tai Phan
Program/Project Stakeholders:
HQ Program Leads – Steven Clarke, Bill Paterson, Bill Stabnow
Project Leads - Craig Tooley, Brent Robertson, Ron Black/Bill Lewis
MMS Science Commitment
Understand the microphysics of magnetic
reconnection by determining the kinetic processes
occurring in the electron diffusion region that are
responsible for collisionless magnetic reconnection,
especially how reconnection is initiated.
•Determine the role played by electron inertia and turbulence in
regulating magnetic reconnection.
•Determine the rate of magnetic reconnection and the
parameters that control it.
•Determine the role played by ion inertia and turbulence in
magnetic reconnection.
A Fundamental Universal Process
Orbital Phases
MMS employs two mission phases with inclination of 28 deg. to
optimize encounters with both dayside and nightside
reconnection regions.
MMS Science Commitment
Orbital Strategy – Day Side
• Launch Mar. 12, 2015
• 28-deg. inclination, apogee
12 RE on day side
• 4 mo. commissioning
• Phase 1a: day side with
separations 10 – 160 km
• Phase 1b: day side with
optimum separation
• Plots show orbits in green,
magnetopause crossings in
red (Phases 1a and 1b), and
neutral sheet crossings in
orange (Phase 2).
Orbital Strategy – Night Side
• Launch Mar. 11, 2015
• 28-deg. inclination, apogee
12 RE on day side
• Phase 2: Apogee 25 RE in
tail with separations 10 – 400
km
• Plots show orbits in green,
magnetopause crossings in
red (Phases 1a and 1b), and
neutral sheet crossings in
orange (Phase 2).
Instrument Suite
Elements and Responsibilities
FIELDS - Electric and magnetic (E,B) measurements at <1 ms timing
resolution (DC). Roy Torbert - UNH
Fast Plasma - Image full sky at 32 energies: electrons in 30 ms, ions in 150
ms. (n, P, fe, fi). Craig Pollock - GSFC
Energetic Particles - All-sky viewing of ion and electron energetic particles
(20 – 500 keV) w/composition (fe, fi). Barry Mauk - APL
HPCA – Composition-resolved 3D ion energy distributions (fi) of H+, He++,
He+, and O+. Stephen Fuselier - SwRI
ASPOC – Maintains s/c potential to ≤ 4 V. Enables valid (fi, E, B) data.
Rumi Nakamura – IWF (Austria)
SOC – Responsible for operating each IS, data management and archival
of science data. Dan Baker - LASP
Theory and Modeling – Develop models of reconnection for mission design and
data interpretation. Michael Hesse - GSFC
MMS Instrument Suite
Fast Plasma Investigation
Suite 4
Suite 3
Suite 2
Suite 1
16 Dual
Electron Spectrometers
16 Dual
Ion Spectrometers
4
IDPUs
MMS Commissioning Timeline
Multiple analyzers with different effective “detector efficiencies” are
combined into de-spun azimuthal bins
 effects of differing crosstalk, geometric factor, MCP efficiency and gain.
John Dorelli (NASA/673) put together this illustration of some 0th-order impacts the FPI team
is working to correct: 1) density overestimation due to photoelectrons, 2) spin period signal
in bulk velocity due to relative detector efficiencies.
On-orbit Photoelectrons
Dan Gershman (NASA/673) examined the FPI Burst
Data and determined we will be able to map the
photoelectron signal with high (<1o) angular
precision and make good estimates of the signal-tonoise ratios for measured burst maps
Measured data
Sun
Photoelectron model
Data Expectations
4/15/11
Jim Burch
21
MMS and the System Observatory
Web Site: https://lasp.colorado.edu/mms/sdc/
Heliophysics Mission Timeline 1995-2025
Heliophysics Mission Timeline
Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission