About NASA’s Magnetospheric
Multiscale Mission (MMS)
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MAGNETIC RECONNECTION is a
little-understood physical process
at the heart of space weather. It
can spark solar flares, cause
coronal mass ejections and other
phenomena that can imperil
Earth-orbiting
spacecraft
and
disrupt power grids on Earth.
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Much of what we know about the
physics of Magnetic Reconnection
comes from theoretical studies
and computer models.
MMS will study this process in
situ, measuring magnetic fields
crossing,
reconnecting,
and
releasing magnetic energy in the
form of heat and charged-particle
kinetic energy.
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The MMS-FIELDS instruments will
measure the electric and magnetic
fields with unprecedented high
(millisecond) time resolution and
accuracy.
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Development of the
instrument suite is
Durham at the
MMS-FIELDS
centered in
University of New Hampshire’s
Space Science Center
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Illustration: One of four MMS spacecraft with the FIELDS instruments identified
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SDP
Spin-Plane
Double Probe
Electric Field
Measurements
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One of four SDP deployers that will be on each of the four MMS spacecraft
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The Spin-plane Double Probe (SDP)
consists of four 60-meter wire booms
with spherical sensors at the end.
Specially coated Titanium hemispheres form each SDPs E-Field probe.
These are provided to UNH by our colleagues in Sweden (KTH and IRFU) and
Finland (University of Oulu)
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SDP Preamplifier
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The SDP doors and
preamplifiers are
provided to UNH by our
colleagues at the
University of Colorado
(LASP)
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The electronics to operate the SDP and process
its E-field measurement are provided to UNH by
our colleagues in Sweden (KTH)
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The mechanical design, fabrication, assembly
and test of the SDP deployers is the
responsibility of engineers at UNH
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ADP
Axial Double
Probe
Electric Field
Measurement
The ADP consists of two
12-meter
antennas
deployed axially near the
spacecraft spin axis.
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The Axial Double Probe (ADP)
consists of two 12-meter antennas
deployed
axially
near
the
spacecraft spin axis.
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The photo
shows one of
two 12-meter
extensible
booms on
each
spacecraft
deployed from
its stowed
configuration
in a small
canister
The design, fabrication, assembly and test of the
ADP is the responsibility of our colleagues at the
University of Colorado (LASP)
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ADP deployment test
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ADP Launch Latches
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ADP Preamplifiers
ADP Receiving Elements
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These 2-meter
antennas launch
in this folded
configuration.
Each will deploy
on-orbit atop a 12meter extensible
boom.
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Thermal Vacuum
test preparation for
ADP Receiving
Elements
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Vibration test preparation for a pair of
ADP Receiving Elements
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ADP Receiving Element Hinges
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The electronics to process the ADP E-field
measurement are provided by our colleagues in
Sweden (KTH) and calibrated with the booms by our
colleagues at the University of Colorado (LASP)
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ADP Receiving Element testing in the clean room at the University of Colorado
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EDI
Electron Drift
Instrument
Electric and
Magnetic Field
Measurements
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EDI Measurement Principle
The EDI determines the
electric and magnetic fields
by measuring the drift of ~1
keV electrons emitted from a
pair of Gun Detector Units
(GDU). Each GDU sends
and receives a coded beam
to and from the other EDIGDU. The University of New
Hampshire, in collaboration
with the Space Research
Institute of the Austrian
Academy of Sciences (IWF)
and the University of Iowa,
provides the The EDI GDU
and electronics.
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Setup for testing of
the EDI Gun
Detector Unit (GDU)
in the UNH vacuum
chamber
Electron Gun Electronics (IWF, Austria)
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Calibration of the EDI Gun and
electronics in the vacuum
chamber at IWF (Austria)
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EDI GDU Assembly in the Clean Room at UNH
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EDI Sensor Stack (UNH)
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SCM
Search Coil
Magnetometer
AC Magnetic Field
Measurement
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The SCM will
measure the 3axis AC
magnetic field
and will be
used with the
ADP and SDP
to determine
the contribution
of plasma
waves to the
turbulent
dissipation
occurring in the
diffusion
region.
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SCM Development
is at LPP, the
Laboratory for
Plasma Physics
(France)
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This magnetically-quiet facility was built by LPP at Chambon la Forêt
(France) for calibration of the Search Coil Magnetometers. The only metal
in this building are the copper coils on these rings for controlling the
magnetic field environment of the sensor in calibration at the center.
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AFG
& DFG
Analog & Digital
Fluxgate
Magnetometers
DC Magnetic Field
Measurement
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UCLA and the Space Research Institute of the Austrian
Academy of Sciences (IWF) provide the AFG and DFG
sensors and electronics with calibration support from the
Technical University of Braunschweig (TU-BS, Germany).
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Two magnetometers provide redundant
measurements of the DC magnetic field and
structure in the diffusion region.
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Magnetometer
sensors (AFG, DFG,
SCM) for one MMS
spacecraft in a test
setup at UNH
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The 3-layer magnetic
shield can is needed
to
isolate
the
magnetometers from
the Earth’s magnetic
field for testing in
the laboratory
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CEB
Central
Electronics
Box
The CEB provides power, control and data
processing for the suite of FIELDS sensors. The
Royal Institute of Technology (KTH, Sweden)
provides the power supply. The University of New
Hampshire provides the CEB and the software
with contributions from the sensor team
institutions: KTH, LASP, UCLA and IWF.
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CEB Thermal Vacuum test at UNH
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Low Voltage Power Supply. 1of 8 custommade electronics boards in each CEB
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The first
flight model
CEB on the
vibration
table
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FIELDS
suite testing at UNH
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UNH MMS-FIELDS Team
Quick Facts
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Flight
instrumentation
integration and test is
underway NOW at UNH
The first of four FIELDS instrument
suites will be delivered from UNH to
NASA in May 2012.
MMS-FIELDS is the largest research
contract ever awarded to UNH.