IMAGE

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Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global
Exploration
IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
pre-1981
1981 (DE-1/SAI)
J. L. Burch, Principal Investigator (SwRI)
T. E. Moore, Project Scientist (NASA/GSFC)
P. H. Reiff, Co-Investigator (Rice Univ.)
2000 (IMAGE/EUV)
The real voyage of discovery consists not in
seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.
- M. Proust
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
The extended IMAGE mission focuses on geomagnetic
activity during the declining phase of the solar
cycle.
The evolution of the IMAGE orbit provides a new,
mid- and low-latitude and ultimately southern
hemisphere viewing perspective.
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
Prime Mission (2000-2002)
Extended Mission (2002-2005)
solar maximum
declining phase of the solar cycle
high-latitude, NH viewing
mid- low-latitude, SH viewing
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
Specific studies to be undertaken during the
new mission include
Solar Cycle Dependence of Ionospheric Outflow
Magnetic Field-aligned Plasma Dynamics
Dynamics and Structural Changes in the
Magnetopause and Cusp
Cusp Plasma Injection
Field-aligned Densities and the Closed Field Line
Length over
Substorm Time Scales
Ring Current Pitch Angle Distributions
The Plasmapause in Perspective
Plasmasphere Refilling Dynamics
High-resolution Ionospheric Imaging
Most of these studies are made possible by the
new viewing perspective that results from the
evolution of precession of the IMAGE orbit to
middle and low latitudes.
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
In addition to its investigation of the geospace
environment, IMAGE will continue to exploit LENA
s unique capability to observe solar wind and
interstellar neutrals. Specifically, IMAGE will
Study seasonal and solar cycle variations in
solar wind
neutral flux
Search for ENAs formed by charge exchange between
shock- accelerated solar wind ions and interstell
ar neutrals
Determine the angular width and start and stop
dates of the interstellar neutral signal observed
between late December and early February
Although primarily a magnetospheric mission,
IMAGE contributes to understanding
of how the Sun and the galaxy interact (Quest
III, SEC Roadmap 2000).
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
IMAGE detects solar wind and interstellar
neutrals.
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
Geomagnetic Activity at Solar Max vs. during
Declining Phase of the Solar Cycle
How does the inner magnetosphere
respond to CIRs?
How does a cooler exosphere affect
polar ion outflow?
Bastille Day Storm, 15-18 July 2000
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
IMAGE provides first global look at substorm
tail dynamics.
Sun contamination
Dipolarization and injections reach geosynchron
ous.
Auroral onset.
Injection complete
Stretched tail field. Dense plasmasheet
Ions drifts earthward in dipolarization E-field
faster than they can be replenished from tail co
nvection field
Flux increase due to conservation of adiabatic i
nvariance
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
IMAGE/RPIs ability to observe ducted echoes
makes possible the determination of field-aligned
densities and field-line length and topology.
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
IMAGE discovers the souce of kilometric
radiation.
EUV imager observes previously unknown bite
outs in plasmasphere.
RPI demonstrates that kilometric continuum is
generated deep within bite outs and is beamed
along magnetic equator from a confined souce
region.
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
IMF Dependence of Subauroral Proton Emissions
the Q Aurora
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
IMF Dependence of Subauroral Proton Emissions
the Q Aurora
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
IMAGE provides real-time auroral imaging to the
NOAA Space Environment Center.
http//www.sec.noaa.gov/IMAGE/
IMAGE will provide critical extended auroral
imaging that Polar will lose once its fuel is dep
leted.
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
The IMAGE / POETRY team will continue their
highly successful education and outreach
activities...
Participation in teacher workshops formal
collaboration with Earth Space Science Magnet
School in Houston
Development and distribution of IMAGE-based
educational materials
Participation in museum and planetarium programs
Communication of exciting results to public via
popular press and Web
with particular emphasis on
Influencing the treatment of aurora and the
geospace environment in both undergraduate
astronomy textbooks and K-12 science books
adopted by county and state curriculum committees
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
Like the prime mission, the IMAGE extended
mission addresses key NASA goals and objectives
set forth in the Space Science Enterprise
Strategic Plan and the SEC Roadmap.
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
The IMAGE extended mission advances our efforts
to
learn how galaxies, stars, and planets form,
interact, and evolve
understand our changing Sun and its effects
throughout the solar system
develop the knowledge to improve our under-
standing of space weather
share the excitement and knowledge generated
by scientific discovery and improve
science education
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IMAGE
Senior Review Presentation July 9, 2001
The IMAGE extended mission addresses three of the
four fundamental quests set forth in the 2000 SEC
Roadmap.
Quest II. How do the planets respond to
solar variations?
Quest III. How do the Sun and galaxy interact?
Quest IV. How does solar variability
affect life and society?
And the IMAGE extended mission offers an
effective and imaginative approach
to the SEC E/PO goals described in the Roadmap.